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Cast-stone, moulded from a stunning original architectural sculpture.From
Randall's Urban Sculptures Collection
Interior cast-stone shown with the Old Limestone Grey finishHistory of the piece in my personal collection and commentary on these historic works in general 127 Pitt Street on Manhattans Lower East Side had four of these same keystones that I removed from the 6th floor of the 7 story tenement in 1977. The building was built in 1901 and this design has been found on a few other buildings around NYC, most likely designed by the same architect from stock designs all built within a couple of years of one another, as such it must have been fairly popular.
SIZE; 25′ x 87′
 The keystone depicts an atypical figure for these architectural sculptures, typically these depicted mythical or fantasy figures, Gods from Greek and Roman mythology; (Mercury, Zeus, Apollo, Athena, Venus, Pan etc) grotesques, beasts and so forth. This sculpture however is a rarer depiction apparently done from real life portraiture, if not of a specific individual in the sculptors life, then at the very least a compilation of several persons likely known to the sculptor. The modelling is also slightly deeper than usual, closer to a 3/4 round portrait of the head which is also not typical for several reasons, some having to do with added weight, increased difficulty in pressing the clay into the deeper moulds and so forth. This most certainly depicted a bearded sailor in the uniform or attire of the day, a portrait of a familiar-to-the-sculptor working man of the sea, ships and docks. The man this depicted only a hundred years ago worked on wooden ships operated by wind not engines, this keystone was probably made by the major company that supplied much of these to architects in New York City- The Atlantic Terra Cotta Co on Staten Island. It was hand pressed clay, fired in a huge kiln heated by dirty coal, it was then transported to the building by ship up the Hudson River from the factory, and then completed its voyage on the back of a wagon pulled by horses. Once installed, he looked down on the street for decades, dirty coal soot from coal burning back then quickly permanently stained building facades, especially the unglazed terra cotta like this. Falling ice, hail, or debris during construction often damages the projecting corners of these keystones, and more damage occurs during demolition from falling bricks and lumber. Some of the minor damage on the original face that I feel detracts from it were temporarily restored for the mold, while the damaged top corners were left as is since this reflects the originals older history and adds interest.
Original 1901 terra cotta keystone shown above (NOT for sale!)By around the 1910s these tenement buildings were no longer built, and with their demise also went a considerable amount of these keystones and other Victorian era ornaments that were designed to decorate these small buildings. Soon, with architects like Sullivan, Wright and others came the more streamlined facades, the Art Deco period, taller, wider and having only accents here and there on the facade, and finally the entire architectural terra cotta industry as it existed- over 100 companies built up solely around the concept of decorating building facades- were largely gone and defunct by WWll
I was producing a limited number of casts of this model back in the 80's, and while it is fairly large it is a stunning sculpture and worthwhile reviving again, therefore I decided to re-mold it and add it to my line once again. The sculpture is a wall hanging piece and comes with a bar hook embedded in the back. It really is a charming and very interesting piece. SIZE: Nominal 21" high by 15-3/4" wide at the top and ships at about 45#
Designs by Randall
The clay models shown in my various work in progress photos are not reproduced and molded off of existing antique pieces.
These hand sculpted models are created from scratch by Randall in water based clay, and typically take an average of 20-30 hours to set up, layout and sculpt each master model. When the clay models are finished, they are permanently captured with silicone mold compounds which can pick up even a fingerprint and faithfully transfer it to a cast made in it. From the molds, interior cast-stone as well as concrete sculptures are made available for clients to purchase. Existing savaged pieces are limited to what happens to be for sale at high prices, often damaged, rarely found in pairs and being typically large in scale (meant to be seen from the street from 5 floors below) they are difficult to display in today's smaller homes and apartments. Instead of making molds of these pieces, Randall creates new original models based on authentic 19th century and early 20th century Victorian, Art Deco and Louis Sullivan style architectural sculptures. While I do have a small number of older designs directly molded from antique pieces, these are being phased out over time as I create my own original models.
COPYRIGHT NOTICE:
Designs in the Urban Sculptures Collection are
copyright, this includes reproductions of
antique pieces upon which I made certain modifications, alterations or
changes- the changes are copyright. I do not sell molds, nor casts for
others to replicate. I reserve
the right to decline sales to anyone.
Original clay models by Randall (and casts made from them) all carry my impressed model numbers, paw-print logo, date of creation,
signature casting number date are inscribed by hand on the
back of every cast.
General information applicable to all of my sculptures
My standard cast-stone is for INTERIOR OR UNDER A COVERED PORCH ONLY! Out in the garden they might last 4 or 5 years, maybe longer before showing weather damage.
If you are looking for something for the garden or to build into a wall, I offer concrete as a special order item which takes approx 3 weeks. Not all pieces are available in concrete. All of my sculptures have a heavy wire embedded on the back to hang them on the wall.
FINISHES AVAILABLE
I offer several different finishes. The suggested default finish for each is shown in the ordering menu for each sculpture.
They vary from piece to piece, and actual colors displayed on your monitor will vary as well. The samples below now include the 2 available concrete stains.
SHIPPING
I use FEDEX ground service for all shipments in the lower 48 states. I do not ship outside the USA.
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