Margaret Foley Paintings & Artwork for Sale | Margaret Foley Art Value Price Guide

Jan. 02, 2024
A RARE AND IMPORTANT 19TH CENTURY AMERICAN CARVED MARBLE FIGURE entitled The Infant Bather, by Margaret Foley (1827-1877) the well formed figure modelled with hands clasped, upon a naturalistic base, signed Margaret Foley Sc Roma 1873). 90cm x 22c
Est: £1,000 - £1,500
A RARE AND IMPORTANT 19TH CENTURY AMERICAN CARVED MARBLE FIGURE entitled The Infant Bather, by Margaret Foley (1827-1877) the well formed figure modelled with hands clasped, upon a naturalistic base, signed Margaret Foley Sc Roma 1873). 90cm x 22cm. Note: In Rome, Foley began to sculpt large marble medallion portraitsfor example, a portrait of the poet William Cullen Bryantas well as portrait busts in the round, such as the 1877 bust of the Transcendentalist minister Theodore Parker. One of her most well-known medallions, created in 1866, depicted Pascuccia, a model from Naples renowned for her beauty. With a Christian cross at her neck and Semitic features, Pascuccia embodied the polyglot world of nineteenth-century Rome, and Foley sold at least four versions of the sculpture. Foley also sculpted biblical and historical subjects such as Jeremiah and Cleopatra, both of which were exhibited at the main Memorial Hall of the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exposition. Foley also exhibited a large fountain at the Exposition's Horticultural Hall, consisting of three children supporting a marble basin adorned with acanthus leaves (now in the Fairmount Park Horticultural Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania). Over the course of her career, she gained many commissions and praise for her "crisply delineated, noble style". The qualities that enabled Margaret Foley to transform herself from a small-town New England school teacher to a Boston sculptor proved equally effective in Rome. As Foley set about establishing herself, she continued to produce cameos and medallions for a succession of patrons who prized her work. Through her friendship with Harriet Hosmer, she met John Gibson (17901866), the eminent Welsh Neoclassical sculptor resident in Rome, who had earlier mentored Hosmer. Gibson was a member of the Royal Academy in London and had initially been a protégé of the famous Neoclassical Italian sculptor, Antonio Canova (17571822). Gibson was immediately impressed with Foleys work and offered her encouragement and guidance. Foley carefully positioned herself to be able to produce ideal pieces as well as portraits. From her vantage point in Rome, Foley managed an active schedule of international exhibitions, sending marble busts and bas-reliefs to London, Dublin, and Paris, as well as New York City and Philadelphia. It has been suggest this may be a commission or the original study for the marble fountain for the Horticultural hall at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition of 1876, as this present figure is dated 1873. Her monumental marble fountain, known as Miss Foleys Fountain, was exhibited separately, as the prominent centrepiece in the Horticultural Hall. This sculpture depicted three life-size children shaded by a covering of acanthus leaves in which rested a basin. Designed by the architect H.J. Schwarzmann (1846-1891), the Horticultural Hall was the smallest of the five Centennial structures but it was the largest conservatory built up to that time, bigger than the famous hothouses in the Botanical Gardens of London and Paris. Like Foleys sculpture within it, the structures Moresque style received both professional and public praise, however, the success of the exhibition never led to any immediate further patronage for Foley. The Horticultural Hall itself was demolished in 1955, though the fountain still resides in Philadelphia within the same site now called the Fairmount Park Horticultural Centre. Her funds depleted and her health failing, she returned to Europe where she was taken by her friends, the Howitts, to Austria to recuperate, but she died of a stroke in Meran, Austria, in 1877. Note a similar study resides in the Novelli room Palermo, it was inherited by the Filangeri family by the will of the Marquise of Torrersa, During the studies carried out on the work during the restoration of this particular figure, it was discovered that it is the sketch, slightly smaller in size than the final work, of one of the three statues of "Bathers" designed for a fountain to be presented at the Exhibition of Philadelphia from 1878. The infant bather is one of 5 produced by Foley in the 1870s, 4 of which resided in private hands (one of which being this example) the other is known to have been destroyed.
Hannam's Auctioneers
Oct. 10, 2023
A 19TH CENTURY EUROPEAN GRAND TOUR BRONZE FIGURE OF A BULL AFTER THE ANTIQUITY. 12cm wide
Est: £80 - £120
A 19TH CENTURY EUROPEAN GRAND TOUR BRONZE FIGURE OF A BULL AFTER THE ANTIQUITY. 12cm wide
Hannam's Auctioneers
Oct. 10, 2023
AN 18TH CENTURY INDIAN BRONZE JAIN BUDDHA MODELED UPON A TRIANGULAR BASE. 19cm x 9cm
Est: £80 - £120
AN 18TH CENTURY INDIAN BRONZE JAIN BUDDHA MODELED UPON A TRIANGULAR BASE. 19cm x 9cm
Hannam's Auctioneers
Oct. 10, 2023
A RARE AND IMPORTANT 19TH CENTURY AMERICAN CARVED MARBLE FIGURE entitled The Infant Bather, by Margaret Foley (1827-1877) the well formed figure modelled with hands clasped, upon a naturalistic base, signed Margaret Foley Sc Roma 1873). 90cm x 22cm.
Est: £800 - £1,200
A RARE AND IMPORTANT 19TH CENTURY AMERICAN CARVED MARBLE FIGURE entitled The Infant Bather, by Margaret Foley (1827-1877) the well formed figure modelled with hands clasped, upon a naturalistic base, signed Margaret Foley Sc Roma 1873). 90cm x 22cm. Note: In Rome, Foley began to sculpt large marble medallion portraitsfor example, a portrait of the poet William Cullen Bryantas well as portrait busts in the round, such as the 1877 bust of the Transcendentalist minister Theodore Parker. One of her most well-known medallions, created in 1866, depicted Pascuccia, a model from Naples renowned for her beauty. With a Christian cross at her neck and Semitic features, Pascuccia embodied the polyglot world of nineteenth-century Rome, and Foley sold at least four versions of the sculpture. Foley also sculpted biblical and historical subjects such as Jeremiah and Cleopatra, both of which were exhibited at the main Memorial Hall of the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exposition. Foley also exhibited a large fountain at the Exposition's Horticultural Hall, consisting of three children supporting a marble basin adorned with acanthus leaves (now in the Fairmount Park Horticultural Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania). Over the course of her career, she gained many commissions and praise for her "crisply delineated, noble style". The qualities that enabled Margaret Foley to transform herself from a small-town New England school teacher to a Boston sculptor proved equally effective in Rome. As Foley set about establishing herself, she continued to produce cameos and medallions for a succession of patrons who prized her work. Through her friendship with Harriet Hosmer, she met John Gibson (17901866), the eminent Welsh Neoclassical sculptor resident in Rome, who had earlier mentored Hosmer. Gibson was a member of the Royal Academy in London and had initially been a protégé of the famous Neoclassical Italian sculptor, Antonio Canova (17571822). Gibson was immediately impressed with Foleys work and offered her encouragement and guidance. Foley carefully positioned herself to be able to produce ideal pieces as well as portraits. From her vantage point in Rome, Foley managed an active schedule of international exhibitions, sending marble busts and bas-reliefs to London, Dublin, and Paris, as well as New York City and Philadelphia. It has been suggest this may be a commission or the original study for the marble fountain for the Horticutural hall at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition of 1876, as this present figure is dated 1873. Her monumental marble fountain, known as Miss Foleys Fountain, was exhibited separately, as the prominent centrepiece in the Horticultural Hall. This sculpture depicted three life-size children shaded by a covering of acanthus leaves in which rested a basin. Designed by the architect H.J. Schwarzmann (1846-1891), the Horticultural Hall was the smallest of the five Centennial structures but it was the largest conservatory built up to that time, bigger than the famous hothouses in the Botanical Gardens of London and Paris. Like Foleys sculpture within it, the structures Moresque style received both professional and public praise, however, the success of the exhibition never led to any immediate further patronage for Foley. The Horticultural Hall itself was demolished in 1955, though the fountain still resides in Philadelphia within the same site now called the Fairmount Park Horticultural Centre. Her funds depleted and her health failing, she returned to Europe where she was taken by her friends, the Howitts, to Austria to recuperate, but she died of a stroke in Meran, Austria, in 1877. Note a similar study resides in the Novelli room Palermo, it was inherited by the Filangeri family by the will of the Marquise of Torrersa, During the studies carried out on the work during the restoration of this particular figure, it was discovered that it is the sketch, slightly smaller in size than the final work, of one of the three statues of "Bathers" designed for a fountain to be presented at the Exhibition of Philadelphia from 1878. The infant bather is one of 5 produced by Foley in the 1870s, 4 of which resided in private hands (one of which being this example) the other is known to have been destroyed.
Hannam's Auctioneers
Nov. 17, 2020
Margaret Foley, Marble Bust "Head of Prophet Zephaniah"
Est: $30,000 - $50,000
Margaret Foley (American, 1827-1877) marble bust "Head of Prophet Zephaniah" A rare and important marble bust head relief portrait on The Prophet Zephaniah, skillfully sculpted by American female artist Margaret Foley, in Rome, Italy, 1865. In original elaborate carved giltwood oval frame. Signed and dated at left below bust: "M.F. FOLEY. F. IN ROMA 1865" Frame size: 36" high x 31" wide x 5" deep Marble size: 29.5" high x 24.5" wide There is an identical one in the Brooklyn Museum of Art with a later date of 1868 described as "Head of Prophet Zephaniah", Large oval medallion with relief portrait bust of elderly man in profile facing right, has long beard and long, wavy hair, wears robe over shoulder; The present example being offered here is slightly earlier (1865). Very good condition to the marble. Frame has normal wear, cracks, consistent with age and use. Zephaniah is the name of several people in the Hebrew Bible and Jewish Tanakh; the most prominent one being the prophet who prophesied in the days of Josiah, king of Judah and is attributed a book bearing his name among the Twelve Minor Prophets. His name is commonly transliterated Sophonias in Bibles translated from the Vulgate or Septuagint. In Christianity he is commemorated with the other minor prophets in the calendar of saints of the Armenian Apostolic Church on July 31. On the Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar and in the Roman Martyrology, he is commemorated on December 3. His book is an inspiration for the hymn, Dies irae.
Solomon Treasure
May. 12, 2020
Margaret Foley, Marble Bust "Head of Prophet Zephaniah"
Est: $30,000 - $50,000
Margaret Foley (American, 1827-1877) marble bust "Head of Prophet Zephaniah" A rare and important marble bust head relief portrait on The Prophet Zephaniah, skillfully sculpted by American female artist Margaret Foley, in Rome, Italy, 1865. In original elaborate carved giltwood oval frame. Signed and dated at left below bust: "M.F. FOLEY. F. IN ROMA 1865" Frame size: 36" high x 31" wide x 5" deep Marble size: 29.5" high x 24.5" wide There is an identical one in the Brooklyn Museum of Art with a later date of 1868 described as "Head of Prophet Zephaniah", Large oval medallion with relief portrait bust of elderly man in profile facing right, has long beard and long, wavy hair, wears robe over shoulder; The present example being offered here is slightly earlier (1865). Very good condition to the marble. Frame has normal wear, cracks, consistent with age and use. Zephaniah is the name of several people in the Hebrew Bible and Jewish Tanakh; the most prominent one being the prophet who prophesied in the days of Josiah, king of Judah and is attributed a book bearing his name among the Twelve Minor Prophets. His name is commonly transliterated Sophonias in Bibles translated from the Vulgate or Septuagint. In Christianity he is commemorated with the other minor prophets in the calendar of saints of the Armenian Apostolic Church on July 31. On the Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar and in the Roman Martyrology, he is commemorated on December 3. His book is an inspiration for the hymn, Dies irae.
Solomon Treasure
Mar. 26, 2020
Margaret Foley, Marble Bust "Head of Prophet Zephaniah"
Est: $30,000 - $50,000
Margaret Foley (American, 1827-1877) marble bust "Head of Prophet Zephaniah" A rare and important marble bust head relief portrait on The Prophet Zephaniah, skillfully sculpted by American female artist Margaret Foley, in Rome, Italy, 1865. In original elaborate carved giltwood oval frame. Signed and dated at left below bust: "M.F. FOLEY. F. IN ROMA 1865" Frame size: 36" high x 31" wide x 5" deep Marble size: 29.5" high x 24.5" wide There is an identical one in the Brooklyn Museum of Art with a later date of 1868 described as "Head of Prophet Zephaniah", Large oval medallion with relief portrait bust of elderly man in profile facing right, has long beard and long, wavy hair, wears robe over shoulder; The present example being offered here is slightly earlier (1865). Very good condition to the marble. Frame has normal wear, cracks, consistent with age and use. Zephaniah is the name of several people in the Hebrew Bible and Jewish Tanakh; the most prominent one being the prophet who prophesied in the days of Josiah, king of Judah and is attributed a book bearing his name among the Twelve Minor Prophets. His name is commonly transliterated Sophonias in Bibles translated from the Vulgate or Septuagint. In Christianity he is commemorated with the other minor prophets in the calendar of saints of the Armenian Apostolic Church on July 31. On the Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar and in the Roman Martyrology, he is commemorated on December 3. His book is an inspiration for the hymn, Dies irae.
Solomon Treasure
Jan. 01, 2020
Margaret Foley, Marble Bust "Head of Prophet Zephaniah"
Est: $30,000 - $50,000
Margaret Foley (American, 1827-1877) marble bust "Head of Prophet Zephaniah" A rare and important marble bust head relief portrait on The Prophet Zephaniah, skillfully sculpted by American female artist Margaret Foley, in Rome, Italy, 1865. In original elaborate carved giltwood oval frame. Signed and dated at left below bust: "M.F. FOLEY. F. IN ROMA 1865" Frame size: 36" high x 31" wide x 5" deep Marble size: 29.5" high x 24.5" wide There is an identical one in the Brooklyn Museum of Art with a later date of 1868 described as "Head of Prophet Zephaniah", Large oval medallion with relief portrait bust of elderly man in profile facing right, has long beard and long, wavy hair, wears robe over shoulder; The present example being offered here is slightly earlier (1865). Very good condition to the marble. Frame has normal wear, cracks, consistent with age and use. Zephaniah is the name of several people in the Hebrew Bible and Jewish Tanakh; the most prominent one being the prophet who prophesied in the days of Josiah, king of Judah and is attributed a book bearing his name among the Twelve Minor Prophets. His name is commonly transliterated Sophonias in Bibles translated from the Vulgate or Septuagint. In Christianity he is commemorated with the other minor prophets in the calendar of saints of the Armenian Apostolic Church on July 31. On the Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar and in the Roman Martyrology, he is commemorated on December 3. His book is an inspiration for the hymn, Dies irae.
Solomon Treasure
Mar. 02, 2019
Margaret Foley (VT, 1820-1877), Marble Profile Tondo Bust Relief of a Young Lady
Est: $800 - $1,200
Margaret Foley (VT, 1820-1877), Marble Profile Tondo Bust Relief of a Young Lady 1867, carved marble, signed under collar. 18 in. diameter. From the Collection of a Gentleman, Florida Additional high-resolution photos are available at LelandLittle.com
Leland Little Auctions
Jan. 24, 2019
Margaret Foley (1820 - 1877)
Est: $500 - $1,000
Marble Bust Plaque. 18" wide 22" tall mounted on Board signed and dated Roma 1875.
Weiss Auctions
Aug. 20, 2017
MARGARET FOLEY BRONZE RELIEF W.M. BRYANT
Est: $500 - $800
FOLEY, Margaret, (American, 1820-1877): William Cullen Bryant, Bronze Relief, 18" x 18", signed and dated 1870, Roma; heavy bronze composition.
Burchard Galleries Inc
Sep. 15, 2012
Margaret F. Foley (American, 1827-1877), bust
Est: $700 - $1,000
Margaret F. Foley (American, 1827-1877), "Miniature Bust of Theodore Parker", white marble, signed and dated "M. F. Foley/ Fece. Roma. 1877" and inscribed on front truncation "Parker", height 9 in., width 5 in Illustrated: Sherrill, "Living with Antiques," The Magazine Antiques, (May 1976), p.1039; and Lebow, "A Gothic Tale," House and Garden, (May 1987), p.196. Please Note: Starting Bid USD $500
Neal Auction Company
Sep. 15, 2012
Margaret F. Foley (American, 1822-1877)
Est: $800 - $1,200
Margaret F. Foley (American, 1827-1877), "Profile Bust Relief of a Lady", marble, signed and inscribed under truncation "ROME", 1860s or 1870s, sight diameter 16 1/2 in., period circular gilded frame Please Note: Starting Bid USD $500
Neal Auction Company
Feb. 24, 2011
Foley, Margaret (1820-1877). A portrait relief.
Est: - €1,800
Foley, Margaret (1820-1877). A portrait relief. Marble. Signed and inscribed ""ROMA 1874" and ".celsior". Damages. 72 x 59 cm
Nagel Auction
Dec. 07, 2009
MARGARET F. FOLEY, (American, 1820-1877), PORTRAITS OF MR. AND MRS. E.H.R. LYMAN, carved white marble in oval wood frames;
Est: $1,500 - $2,500
MARGARET F. FOLEY (American, 1820-1877) PORTRAITS OF MR. AND MRS. E.h.r. LYMAN pair of carved white marble reliefs in oval wood frames; both signed, dated and inscribed M. F. Foley, sc. Roma 1868; 21 X 17 1/2 inches
Grogan & Company
Jun. 08, 2007
Margaret F. Foley (1820 - 1877) American sculptor
Est: £300 - £400
Margaret F. Foley (1820 - 1877) American sculptor Marble statue Child playfully feeding a goat grapes Signed 'Margaret Folley: SC' and dated ' Roma 1871' lower verso (Foley moved to Rome and worked there from 1860) 33" high
Claydon Auctioneers