Collections record Beta

Sketch - Animal Sculpture

1953-17-26

Pencil sketch of a cow's head and leg on paper. Below the sketch of a shaded in cow's head appears to be the beginnings of an unshaded outline of a cow's head which just includes the cow's nose. To the right of the unfinished cow's head is what appears to be a smaller sketch of a cow's mouth. To the bottom and middle right hand side are three sketches of a cow's leg and hoof, only one of which is a completed sketch. Written in ink on the bottom center portion of the front side: "by Sam Leotta/ass't to AP/for TAURUS/Sculpture on SS America." No date, not signed. Sam Leotta was an assistant to Austin Purves.

Born in Philadelphia, Austin M. Purves Jr. (1900-1977) lived in the East Litchfield section of Litchfield for the last 40 years of his life. Purves studied art at the Philadelphia Academy of Fine Arts and the Académie Julian in Paris, France, before opening a studio in New York, where he was director of the day and night schools at the Cooper Union. After moving to Litchfield, Purves taught art at Bennington College and at Yale Art School and was a member of the Architectural League of New York, the National Society of Mural Painters, and the (then newly-formed) Hartford Art School. Over the course of his career Purves did commission work for R. H. Macy & Co., the Folger Memorial Library in Washington, D.C., the American Battle Monument in Draguignan, France, the 1939 World’s Fair, various churches, ship lines and private clients, among others. In addition to commission work, Purves drew primarily from people and nature for his own personal sketches and paintings.

• Leotta, Sam

20th century

Overall Width 12.875"; length 9.625"

• ink
• pencil
• paper