Fiske-owned Fountain

Item #05433

Description:
A cast-iron and zinc fountain, manufactured by the J.W. Fiske Iron Works, New York, ca. 1910. 62 ins. high, 34 ins. wide, 34 ins. deep.

This model was offered at least as early as 1868 as it appears in the Fiske catalog in that year. It was also manufactured by New York firms, Janes, Beebe & Co.; Janes, Kirtland & Co.; and J.L. Mott Iron Works. According to zinc statuary expert, Carol Grissom, the figure was based on August Kiss’ mid-19th-century Boy and Dolphin fountain made for the Sans Souci palace in Potsdam, Germany, which was in turn modeled after Verrocchio’s 15th-century Putto with Dolphin.

Provenance: Collection Joseph Warren Fiske, great-grandnephew of Joseph Winn Fiske, company founder.

Barbara says, “When I bought this from Joe Fiske it had never been assembled. Joe had it in his collection of pieces left over from his family company. You can’t imagine the satisfaction in seeing it in its configuration working away as intended”.