Lot 179
Leonard Baskin (American, 1922-2000). "John the Baptist" double-sided artist proof on paper, 1995. (Side 1) Touched. Artist signature, date, and "proof: touched" handwritten in pencil beneath image. (Side 2) Artist signature and "proof" handwritten in pencil beneath image. Both sides have Herb Fox blind stamp on lower periphery beneath image. A rare double-sided artist proof woodcut by legendary Leonard Baskin, each image depicting the head of John the Baptist after he was beheaded under the order of King Herod; a frequent motif in Western Art. The solemn visage is portrayed at a slant with closed eyes and cracked, parted lips, all enveloped in a thick mane of unkempt hair and beard that blend into Baskin's dark shading. A rectangular border frames the head, though his beard protrudes the lower boundary, suggesting it was intended to portray the platter on which the head was presented to Salome - Herod's stepdaughter who ordered John the Baptist's death. Size of image: 9.6" W x 7.7" H (24.4 cm x 19.6 cm) Size of frame: 19.2" W x 16.8" H (48.8 cm x 42.7 cm)
The touched proof is colored with mocha brown and light pink pigments, while the other is printed in black, providing a sharp contrast to the beige paper that highlights Baskin's energetic strokes. The embossed fox featured below each image indicates these proofs were created during his collaboration with American lithographer Herb Fox.
According to the Bible, King Herod's daughter Salome requested Saint John the Baptist's beheading - specifically that his head be brought to her on a platter. The heinous act was prompted by her mother, Herodias, who sought revenge, because the prophet had condemned her incestuous marriage to Herod.
Leonard Baskin was a 20th century "Renaissance Man" - a highly respected sculptor, printmaker, writer, and watercolorist. His themes included mythological, classical, and biblical scenes as well as portraits and floral studies. Baskin studied at Yale University from 1941 to 1943 and received his B.A. at the New School for Social Research in 1949. He also founded Gehenna Press which specialized in fine book production and taught printmaking and sculpture at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts as well as Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts from 1953 until 1974. Baskin's artworks are in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Museum of Modern Art, the Vatican Museum, the Smithsonian Institute, the Tate Gallery in London, and other elite institutions. His noted public sculptural commissions include pieces for the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial as well as the Holocaust Memorial in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Baskin also received many prestigious honors, such as a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Gold Medal of the National Academy of Arts and Letters, and the Jewish Cultural Achievement Award. He was also honored with numerous retrospective exhibitions at institutions including the Smithsonian Museum, the Albertina Museum, and the Library of Congress.
Provenance: ex-private Bishop Family Trust collection, the Trust of the late Bill Bishop, a noted antiquarian with shops in Scottsdale, Arizona and Allenspark, Colorado, USA, acquired before 2010
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#173486
- Condition: (Side 1) Artist signature, date, and "proof: touched" handwritten in pencil beneath image. (Side 2) Artist signature and "proof" handwritten in pencil beneath image. Both sides have Herb Fox blind stamp on lower periphery beneath image. Set in 2 mattes and double-sided frame, with suspension wire on the side presenting the uncolored proof. Repair to frame and some light wrinkling to paper and tiny marks to mattes. Images have not been examined outside of frame but appear to be in excellent overall condition.
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