“Duck Baby” A Fountain - Edith Barretto Stevens Parsons

A sensational and most charming American turn of the century patinated bronze statue of 'Duck Baby', signed Edith Barretto Parsons. The bronze is raised by a hexagonal mottled base where the adorable baby stands. The baby holds a duck in each arm and displays a cheeky and most charming smile. Wonderful details, expression and proportions throughout. Edith Barretto Stevens Parsons (1878-1956) Studied with Daniel Chester French, apprenticed with James Earle Fraser and won multiple scholarships and prizes. Following the birth of her children, her subject matter changed, representing them posing in her sculptures, often holding ducks, turtles, frogs and other creatures. Duck Baby was the beginning of a series of garden sculptures for which she is popular today and was the popular hit of the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition. The exposition handbook stated: "In the presence of so much that is weighty and powerful, the popularity of Duck Baby is a significant and touching indication of the world's hunger for what is cheerful and mirth-provoking.".