Raynor HCA 2014-04
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 5/1/2014
Superbly executed bust of zealot and abolitionist John Brown, with the hanging rope resting on his chest, by French sculptor Joseph-Charles de Blezer. The original bust was purchased in Paris in 1976 by Oberlin College Trustee John Stern, class of 1939, who loaned it to the College. It remained in storage until historian Geoffrey Blodgett, class of 1953, received it as a gift from Mr. Stern. In 1999 College Archivist Roland Baumann accepted the bust (for the Archives) for public viewing to celebrate Oberlin's strong anti-slavery holdings and heritage. This heavy plaster casting measures 15 3/4" tall, and has Blezer's "J.C. Blezer 1870" imprint on the left side of the piece, and and imprint of "AMR 1968" on the right side of the base. We are not sure when this example was cast. The details and features are as fine as the example held at Oberlin College, in Oberlin, Ohio. The bust is in excellent condition, having just a few tiny nicks. We have never seen another example offered at auction, and presents a great opportunity for the collector of African American / Abolitionist material.
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