14: A GREAT 19TH C. CARVED MARBLE ARCHITECTURAL ELEMENT

The well-carved marble masthead-like composition of a female figure wearing a classical soldier's helmet on her head with flowing hair, the bust a large carved acanthus leaf on massive scroll decorated with additional scrolls and ornament. Measures 20 x 12 x 6.25 inches. Provenance: Kansas City's Orpheum theater, 1814 Baltimore Avenue, K.C. MO.
In 1962, Evans Folger and his friend Tim O'leary were headed back to their downtown offices after lunch. On the way they stepped in the doorway of the old Orpheum theater, which was being brought down to make room for an addition to the Muehlebach Hotel, and there lying on the floor were two massive pink marble newel posts. Each was topped by a female figure on scrolled carvings. They located a foreman and asked if they could buy the pair. He said they could and the price was $50. Neither had $50 of their own, but between the they were able to make the purchase. Somehow they managed to remove the pair which had to have weighed several hundred pounds. It just so happened that Evans, an architect, was at that time designing a building for the Carthage Marble Company of Carthage, Missouri ( http://www.carthagestoneworks.com/). He arranged to have each massive post sent to Carthage and the uprights were removed leaving the ornament seen here. Over the years Folger and O'Leary both tried to buy the other's half and reunite the pair but neither would sell. Evans Folger passed away in 2014 at the age of 91.

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Good with scattered chips, no major repair or loss.
$1,000 - $1,500