Anna Vaughn Hyatt Huntington
(American, 1876-1973)
Yawning Tiger, model #Q492
bronze, slate (base)
stamped marks, numbered "277"
Gorham Co. Foundry
15 1/2"w x 4 1/2"d x 5"h

Provenance:
The Ira Simon Collection, Chicago, Illinois

Literature:
Gorham Company, Bronze Division, Bronze Division Papers: Casting Records of Statuary and Small Bronzes Owned by Gorham, Q Numbers Assigned to Bronzes, 1905-1970, 1917, p. 27, no. Q492 (another example illustrated as Tiger Stretching)

Gorham Company, Bronze Division, Bronze Division Papers: Photograph Files of Statuary and Small Bronzes, 1917, n.p., no. Q492 (another example illustrated as Tiger)

Gorham Company, Bronze Division, Bronze Division Papers: Records of Royalties Paid to Sculptors for Casting Their Works, 1929, n.p., no. 253 (another example illustrated as Stretching Tiger)

Gorham Company, Famous Small Bronzes, exhibition catalog, 1928, pp. 14-15 (another example illustrated)

Catalog Note:
Anna Vaughn Hyatt Huntington was an American sculptor from Cambridge, Massachusetts whose works largely included animal sculptures. Having a professor of zoology at Harvard as her father sparked her interest in animals at a young age. Following in the footsteps of her sister, who was also a sculptor, Huntington received formal training as an artist at the Art Students League of New York. She also spent a considerable amount of time at the local zoos in New York and circuses observing animals.

Huntington's diligence combined with technical proficiency allowed her to become one of the most accomplished and internationally recognized female sculptors of her generation. She created numerous impressive figural sculptures, usually presented in a state of suspended animation with ample movement and a great attention to details that breathed life into them.

Preferred subjects for Huntington include jaguars, tigers, lions, bears, elephants, horses, bulls and dogs. The Yawning / Stretching Tiger is one of her most widely recognized works, with 359 known variations cast by Gorham Mfg. Co. between 1917 and 1948. Though small in scale, the bronze sculpture looks very much alive in its facial expression and exudes energy throughout its slender yet strong body.

A similar sculpture may be found in the collection of National Museum of Women in the Arts (cast circa 1917) in Washington, DC. A larger-scale example of this form may be found in the collections of the National Gallery of Art (cast circa 1917) in Washington, DC and Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in New York City (cast circa 1920).

Great original patina throughout with some dirt residue and minor verdigris in crevices. A few minor edge chips to slate base.