A Rare Signed Alexander Galt Sculptural Bust

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American & Southern | September 23, 2026

By Brunk Auctions

Sep 23, 2026

Set Reminder 2026-09-23 10:00:00 2026-09-23 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : American & Southern | September 23, 2026 https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/brunk/american-southern-september-23-2026-23230
Important Maurice Prendergast watercolor, paintings by Kahn, Jacobsen, Redmond, Marin, Glackens and Koch; several Catesby bird prints; a Joseph Proctor folk art still life and a Fraktur collection; a Soap Hollow blanket chest, clocks by Samuel Mulliken and Anna Atkinson, the Kittredge Family high chest, a Dunlap family high chest, Hall Family chest on chest, Nathan Lombard sideboard, Seymour work table; a MESDA documented Petersburg VA Secretary and important VA paint decorated blanket chest. First editions including Mark Twain and a narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass, and firearms. Brunk Auctions support@brunkauctions.com

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• Lot Description

  (Virginia, 1827-1863)

  A Bacchante, wearing a grapevine wreath, circa 1860, marble, signed with conjoined last name "GALT", carved marble, 23-3/4 x 16-1/2 x 8-3/4 in.

  Note: Alexander Galt Jr. was born in Norfolk, Virginia on January 26, 1827. The son of a postmaster and one of an even ten children, Galt's artistic ability and interest in sculpture manifested early in his life, the young artist carving pieces of chalk and the marbles he'd use to play games with his school friends. Apprenticed to a Norfolk artist, one M. Schisano, he would graduate from chalk to alabaster and then to shell, carving cameos to be worn as jewelry by Norfolk’s most fashionable. As at the time, American sculptors were hard-pressed to find any objects of study that weren't memorials in graveyards and cemeteries, or waxwork reproductions, so to further his education Galt traveled to Italy, fulfilling a long-held boyhood dream by studying the works masters in the galleries and academies of Florence.

  This trip abroad proved formative, meeting en route both other American artists, and President James K. Polk, and once there, studying with both his own countrymen and up-and-coming Italian artists. It was this crop of American artists that helped, over the course of a century, entrench the American style as an acceptable presence within the broader Western body of sculpture. Two of the pieces Galt executed during this time abroad was Virginia, an allegory of his home state, and Bacchante, a classical subject perhaps chosen as a result of his education. Galt would return home and use family contacts to secure commissions, and the subsequent years proved both creatively fruitful and financially successful. Once more he returned to Florence, where he would fulfill a $10,000 commission (just under $380,000 today) for the Virginia General Assembly to carve a life size marble statue of Thomas Jefferson, which is currently housed in the University of Virginia.

  Galt would return to the states on the eve of the Civil War, during which he remained loyal to his state and served as a member of the staff of Virginia governor John Letcher, though he never let his passion for sculpture subside and planned to return his attention to the field more fully once the war concluded. Tragically, however, when visiting the camp of General Stonewall Jackson to make studies for a sculpture of the man, he contracted smallpox and died shortly after in Richmond in 1863. He was 36 years old. Although his career ended prematurely, and he likely never reached the pinnacle of his craft, his work went on to inspire other American sculptors, including three notable fellow Virginians: Moses Jacob Ezekiel, William Couper, and Edward Virginius Valentine.

  For another example of this bust see the one held by the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC, given by William Corcoran in 1873 (https://www.nga.gov/artworks/176663-bacchante) .

   

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• Condition
  small chip at edge of bust and underside on support, socle with chips mostly at top under truncation, slightly dirty Note - Brunk Auctions makes every effort to offer accurate and thorough information, but encourages prospective bidders to inspect items in person whenever possible. Condition statements are provided as a courtesy for general guidance and should not be considered complete or definitive. They do not represent a warranty or assumption of liability by Brunk Auctions. Certain condition issues may not be specifically noted in the report but may be visible in the accompanying photographs, which are considered part of the overall condition report. Please refer to our Terms of Sale for complete information and contact us for additional photos or information as needed.