Page 337 - The Legacy of Abraham Rothstein - text

Genre: modern

down to the child’s costume; it is not known how often AR
followed this practice, nor whether he continued it beyond his
early pieces.

111 Man walking a dog
Wood
8.25” x 3”

Reminded perhaps of his own experiences with dogs (see his
narrative), AR carved this canine and its owner out for a stroll.
The dog is on a leash; both are contiguous with the man,
sculpted minimally from a block (the back is flat and one
original corner still remains at the base). The human carries a
cane or umbrella and wears a soft cloth cap. He has no beard,
so may be considered an American of the domesticated type.

126 Soldier
Wood
4.25” x 1.875”

This roughly-carved free-standing trooper has a pack on his
back and a rifle under his arm. He is unshaven rather than
bearded, and wears a belted tunic and a cap resembling a beret.
Obviously a good soldier, he stands stiffly at attention.

68 Torso of a military officer
Polychrome coconut husk
5.5” x 3.5”

AR usually carved heads on entire coconut husks; this is the
only surviving instance of his sculpting a different anatomical
format using a partial husk. It may have been the case that the
rest of the nut was damaged, or that he had opened and eaten
the contents, leaving at least one fragment large enough to
work on. This piece is about one-sixth of a coconut. The
subject is a European— possibly Russian—officer with a
pointed beard, wearing a military cap and a tunic with buttons
and epaulets. The incised detail and painting are both slapdash,
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