Youth (Head in Wood)
Nancy Elizabeth Prophet
American Art
At a time when there were few professional African American artists, Nancy Elizabeth Prophet trained at the Rhode Island School of Design and carved powerful sculptures in hardwood, such as Untitled (Head). The artist, who endured decades of poverty and hunger in order to pursue her career, produced works characterized by somber dignity and idealized but expressive facial features. This sculpture is one of only about a dozen known works by Prophet still in existence.
MEDIUM
Wood
DATES
ca. 1930
DIMENSIONS
head without base: 12 3/4 × 8 1/4 × 10 1/4 in. (32.4 × 21 × 26 cm)
mount (dims incorporating mount block): 19 × 805 × 10 1/4 in. (48.3 × 2044.7 × 26 cm)
(show scale)
INSCRIPTIONS
Incised signature behind proper right ear
ACCESSION NUMBER
2014.3
CREDIT LINE
Brooklyn Museum Fund for African American Art in honor of Saundra Williams-Cornwell
PROVENANCE
Prior to 1970, provenance not yet documented; before 1970, acquired by an unidentified collector of Providence, RI; before 1970, purchased at an estate sale in Providence by an unidentified Massachusetts collector; February 13, 2014, purchased from an unidentified Massachusetts collector at Swann Galleries, "Shadows Uplifted: The Rise of African-American Fine Art", lot 25, by the Brooklyn Museum.
Provenance FAQ
MUSEUM LOCATION
This item is not on view
CAPTION
Nancy Elizabeth Prophet (American, 1890–1960). Youth (Head in Wood), ca. 1930. Wood, head without base: 12 3/4 × 8 1/4 × 10 1/4 in. (32.4 × 21 × 26 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn Museum Fund for African American Art in honor of Saundra Williams-Cornwell, 2014.3 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 2014.3_front_PS9.jpg)
IMAGE
front, 2014.3_front_PS9.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2015
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RIGHTS STATEMENT
Orphaned work
After diligent research, the Museum is unable to locate contact information for the artist or artist's estate, or there are no known living heirs.
Copyright for this work may be controlled by the artist, the artist's estate, or other rights holders. A more detailed analysis of its rights history may, however, place it in the public domain.
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