Lot 894: Marble Portrait Bust of Eleanor Horton Kennedy

Marble Portrait Bust of Eleanor Horton Kennedy with Pedestal, signed and dated 1869 by the American sculptor Pierce Frances Connelly (1841-1932), the period columnar marble pedestal on an octagonal base, overall h. 72", bust h. 28-1/2". Provenance: The estate of Charlotte Minor Payne, New Orleans, Louisiana. Note: Eleanor Horton, of Milton, Massachusetts, was married to her cousin Samuel Horton Kennedy, who served on the first Board of Administrators at Tulane University in 1882 and remained on the board until 1893. Kennedy was president of the Boston Club, New Orleans, from 1859 to 1861. Pierce Francis Connelly, a medallist at l'Ecole des Beaux Arts, became enamored by the work of Hiram Powers and remained in Florence, Italy, working as a sculptor for several years. The date on the present bust indicates it was made while he was in Florence. In 1876, Connelly exhibited at the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition. Notable Connelly commissions include a full-length statue of Princess Louise commissioned by Queen Victoria, busts of the Duke of Northumberland and Lady Percy in Alnwick Castle, as well as depictions of a number of Philadelphia luminaries.