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Jack Johnson. Bronze Portrait Head. browse these categories for related items... All Items: Fine Art:Sculpture:Bronze: Pre 1930: item # 979694 Please refer to our stock # 2467A when inquiring.
Raymond Agler Fine Arts 16 Pleasant Street Gloucester, Massachusetts 01930 978-281-5048 Guest Book $5,500 |
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| Bronze portrait head of Jack Johnson (1878-1946), 19.25 inches high including marble plinth, fine patina, bears the legend: "Mercedes B. de Garimaldi." One of the great pugilists of the twentieth century, John Arthur "Jack" Johnson died in a North Carolina car crash after reportedly being refused service at a small diner near Raleigh. He had won the heavyweight title in 1908 in Sydney, Australia, igniting the search for a "Great White Hope." This culminated in the famous Johnson/Jeffries bout from which Johnson emerged victorious. The "Hope" did not appear until 1915 when Jess Willard finally wrested the title from Johnson in a 26-round brawl in Havana, Cuba. Johnson's flamboyant lifestyle and particularly his liaisons with a string of white women enraged a large segment of the population and put him in prison for a while. Though the son of former slaves and having little formal education, he had a keen intelligence and a real appreciation for the finer things, including fast motorcars and the opera. This piece came from a closed sports club in the Chicago area. | ||
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