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Estimate: $ 5,000 - $ 7,500
(CIVIL WAR--CONFEDERATE.) Martiny, Philip; sculptor. Plaster bust of Robert E. Lee. Painted plaster bust, 23 inches tall including pedestal (bust 18 inches), 16 inches in width, 10 inches depth, mounted on a green felt base; a few minor chips, faint discoloration, but generally well preserved; signed in the mold "PH Martiny SC NY." New York, circa 1920s
The French-born sculptor Philip H. Martiny (1858-1927) came to New York City in 1878 and worked in the shop of Augustus Saint-Gaudens for five years before opening his own studio near Washington Square Park. He was quite prolific and had several high-profile public commissions, including several World's Fairs and the New York City Hall of Records. Though he did several medallion portraits of Union generals and other northern Civil War memorials, this bust of Robert E. Lee was his only known Confederate piece. We do not know who originally commissioned the piece, but it was likely done in the early twentieth century--the most active period for memorializing the Confederate past. This casting was purchased from the estate of a direct descendant of the sculptor. It is accompanied by some related background material on the sculptor, including photocopied inventories of his known surviving work. One undated list cites a "portrait bust of Major General Robert E. Lee, West Point Military Academy," while a more thorough 1971 list by the artist's son and grandson cites one at William and Mary College in Virginia, "presented to the college in 1925 by Mr. H.E. Huntington and located in the main library." A pencil note adds: "At Al Martiny's home," undoubtedly referring to the present example. Other examples of the bronze casting of this bust are at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History and the Huntington Library.
