Page 320 - The Legacy of Abraham Rothstein - text
P. 320
Studies: animal
In an interior photograph of AR’s house, this “wall trophy”
carving of the front half of an ungulate has what looks like a
beard. That appendage has since disappeared, and the animal’s
chin smoothed off, but it may be speculated that the creature in
question is really a goat. As in other pieces, AR appears to have
been inspired by a pair of twigs forking off a branch; in this
case, they form the horns. The front legs are in relief, folded up
against the body, and the ears are glued in.
122 Head of a bull
Wood
9” x 5.5”
AR used part of a branch with forking twigs to carve another
piece designed to be wall-mounted (it has a hole in back for
that purpose). The fork forms the horns; the ears had to be
carved separately and glued into place. Unfortunately, the eyes
are too frontal and binocularly focused for any bovine face
(probably the result of not being copied from a real model),
giving the head a devilish aspect.
29 Sheep
Wood
2.75” x 9.25”
The artist carefully rendered this ovine creature’s woolly coat in
bent-gouge chisel strokes. It has a flat base, befitting a beast
lying down. Its expression is benign; perhaps AR intended the
piece for a child.
46 Head of a horse
Stone
9.25” long x 3” high
114 Horse
Wood
7.25” x 12.75”
316
