Animals have served as lifelong companions and have provided enduring sources of artistic depiction, curiosity, and symbols of magic.
Alexander Phimister Proctor (United States, 1862-1950)
Buffalo, 1912
Bronze, 20 x 13 5/8 inches
Gift of the Gorham Corporation
Alexander Phimister Proctor created four immense sculptures of buffalo to adorn the Dumbarton—or Q Street—Bridge in Washington, DC. The Gorham Foundry cast several models with inscriptions indicating the Buffalo was a model for the Q Street Bridge sculptures. This cast additionally has the founder’s mark and 1912 on its base.
Unknown Nicoya Maker
Northwest Costa Rica
Jaguar Effigy Metate, 4th-8th century
Stone, 32 1/8 x 11 7/8 inches
Gift of William C. Lickle
This decorative grinding stone features a composite serpent-jaguar head and a tripod of openwork legs. It is hewn from a densely-grained volcanic rock. The metate is a base on which corn, for example, is ground into meal using a lozenge-shaped stone to roll and crush the kernels.
Unknown Carver
China
Guardian Lion, 20th century
Tiger eye, 2 3/4 x 3 1/2 inches
The Chinese guardian lion incense burner, made of tiger eye, has a separately carved head with an open mouth with carved teeth and tongue. One paw rests on a carved ball, and a free-swinging ring that hangs from the chest ring is carved from one continuous piece. Chinese lions, also called Imperial Lions or Foo Dogs, were originally made of stone, and were used in large pairs for the protection of buildings.
Unknown Artist
Italy
Decorative Lion Head, 15th-17th century
Bronze, 2 1/2 x 2 7/8 x 3 5/8 inches
Gift of Mr. Alan Gerdau
Although donor Alan Gerdau collected many artifacts from Padua, Italy, it is possible that this decorative bronze originated in Venice. The lion is the attribute of Saint Mark, the city’s patron saint, and is ubiquitous throughout Venice. It appears as fountain spouts, doorknockers, and architectural decoration. This small head could have functioned in any of those ways, but considering the wear of the patinaed surface, and the partial brackets on the back, this was probably a doorknocker.
Robert Juchem (Idar-Oberstein, Germany, dates unknown)
Grizzly Bear, 20th century
Quartz, 2 3/4 x 5 x 1 3/4 inches
Gift of Mrs. David Craven
The walking grizzly bear is carved from one piece of transparent colorless quartz and has carved fur and ruby eyes.
Unknown Maker
Egypto-Roman (Coptic)
Chameleon Knife (or knife handle), ca. 150 CE
Bone, 8 1/4 x 3/4 inches
Unknown Donor
In the Egypto-Roman or Coptic period, bone was used extensively for utensils including spoons, combs, and ornaments used in hairdressing. This knife (possibly a handle) in the form of a chameleon was made from animal bone, likely from Egyptian cattle that grazed the banks of the Nile and were found in the Fayum Oasis region west of Cairo. The Akkadians, an ancient culture that dominated modern-day Iraq over 4,000 years ago, named the chameleon nes qaqqari, literally “lion of the ground.” This usage continued through subsequent civilizations over the ensuing centuries. In modern English “chameleon” means “ground lion.”
Unknown Carver
China
Panda, 20th century
Dolomite and obsidian, 2 1/4 x 4 x 1 1/2 inch
The panda is carved from white dolomite and black obsidian and has applied ears, nose, and eye patches.
Unknown Carver
Owl, 20th century
Charoite, 2 1/2 x 5 1/4 x 2 inches
Estate of Mrs. David Craven
The owl is carved from one piece of purple charoite, mined only near the Chara River in Siberia, Russia. With a separate agate beak and eyes, and cast-silver feet, the owl sits on a petrified log cross-section.
Robert Juchem (Idar-Oberstein, Germany, dates unknown)
Bald Eagle
Jasper and dolomite, 2 1/2 x 6 x 7 inches
Gift of Mrs. David Craven
The body of this eagle is mottled red and yellow jasper; the head and tail are of white dolomite; the separately carved beak is yellow jasper; the feet are silver. The eagle perches on a petrified wood base. It is more difficult to carve in a hard material like agate or jasper but a skillful artist, using diamond tools, can create more detail in a hard stone. Carvings in softer material are generally less elaborate, as fine definition such as this cannot be attained.
Unknown Maker
Peru
Llama, 20th century
Ceramic, 5 7/8 x 2 3/8 inches
Gift of Dr. & Mrs. Russell J. Seibert
This ceramic depicting a llama could have been purchased in any number of trading markets throughout Peru. The patterning on the back of this llama recalls the hand-woven and decorated woolen textiles used throughout the Andes as blankets and saddlebags for these beasts of burden.
Unknown Carver
Rhinoceros, 20th century
Malachite, 3 x 6 x 2 1/4 inches
Unknown Artist
Egypt
Apis Bull, 600-300 BCE
Leaded bronze, polychrome, 4 3/4 x 5 x 1 1/2 inches
Gift of Mr. Alan Gerdau
Apis is the divine bull of the ancient Egyptian capital Memphis, and it is a manifestation of the god Ptah, a creator and maker of all things. The original name in Egyptian was Api, Hapi, or Hep. Apis is the Greek name, meaning courageous heart, great strength, and fighting spirit. It symbolizes strength and fertility, qualities closely linked with kingship. Occasionally, Apis appears with the sun-disk symbol of his mother, Hathor, between his horns. Apis is one of very few deities associated with her symbol, signifying goodness and plenty. The cult of Apis celebrated the bull, which represented harmony in nature and a balanced universe.
Unknown Bamana/Bambara Carver
Mali, Africa
Chi Wara and Figure, 20th century
Wood, fiber, metal, 28 x 18 x 5 1/2 inches
Gift of Geneva R. Steinberger
The Chi Wara represents the roan antelope, an intercessor that sustains human and natural fertility. The female antelope is usually depicted in a horizontal stance and carries a young antelope on her back, symbolizing human beings protected by the heroic Chi Wara. In this case, the antelope is instead carrying a female figure in a literal interpretation of this belief. At festivals, the Chi Wara figures always appear as a male/female pair, combining the elements of fertility of humans with fertility of the earth. The carvings are placed on the heads of dancers fully clad in raffia. Their movements replicate the antelope reinvigorating the soil, thus assuring a bountiful harvest. Of the differing regional styles, this carving likely comes from the north region of Mali called Bamako.
Unknown Baga Carver
Guinea, Africa
a-Bamp/e-Bemp Headdress, mid-20th century
Wood, polychrome, 16 1/8 x 5 3/4 x 10 inches
Gift of Mr. & Mrs. Martin Goodman
Often depicted as an aquatic bird, an a-Bamp or e-Bamp literally translates as “the bird.” In this object, the bird is a hornbill, although in other examples herons or pelicans can appear. It carries two smaller hornbills on its back. In some instances, the object is worn on the forehead while hunting. Hunters mimic the up and down movements of the birds, blending into the flock unnoticed. Also, young men and boys wear this form of headdress during initiation into the Baga harvest festival ceremony, where, like the hunters, they perform these same movements jumping from left to right and nodding their heads as though they are socializing among the flock.
![16 Elephant [Alice]](https://exhibitions.lib.udel.edu/collectors-cabinet/wp-content/uploads/sites/234/2021/02/016.jpg "16 Elephant [Alice]")
Anna Vaughan Hyatt Huntington (United States, 1876-1973)
Elephant [Alice], executed by Gorham ca. 1920
Bronze, 13 7/8 x 11 1/4 inches
Gift of the Gorham Corporation
Historically, many elephants, both of the African and Asian species, have been named Alice.
The Alice who was likely the model for Anna Huntington’s sculpture was an Asian elephant owned in 1905 by Frank Thompson at Luna Park, Coney Island, NY. Making a dramatic escape, Alice took to the water, swam north out of Luna Park, and slipped into the Coney Island Creek. From there, she swam west, undetected, passing the Coney Island Lighthouse and continuing another five miles—across one of the busiest ports in the world—where fishermen spotted her off the Staten Island coast just before dawn. In 1908, Alice went to the Bronx Zoo, where Huntington studied and sculpted Alice among other animals.
Richard H. Bailey (United States, b. 1940)
Turtle, 1969
Serpentine, 15 1/2 x 18 x 9 7/8 inches
Purchase Award 9th Annual Regional Art Exhibition, 1970
Delaware sculptor, Richard H. Bailey has been carving stone for over sixty years and is known as “The Marble Man.” Bailey’s handcrafted sculptures are carved primarily from marble, but also granite and precious stones, which he selects. His subjects include twisting fish, butterflies, ducks, and monumental turtles expressing his deeply rooted interest in nature and faith. This sculpture appears to be a sea turtle with prominent front flippers. Bailey studied at the Art Students League in New York City with José de Creeft and at de Creeft’s home studio in Hoosick Falls, New York for two summers, before attending the Carlo Nicoli Studios in Italy, where he studied with ten stone sculptors. Returning to New York City, Bailey studied at the New School of Social Research. Continuing his extensive training, he took drawing classes at Goddard College in Plainfield, Vermont and learned many techniques for carving granite in Barre, Vermont.
