Next month, a carving by will be auctioned off at Nest Egg Auctions in Meriden.
Kent, a longtime Durham resident who passed away earlier this month at the age of 93, carved the piece in 1961, according to the company's website.
"We're estimating between $2,000 and $5,000, but now it may go more now that he has passed," said Mary Ellen Brechlin, owner of Nest Egg Auctions. "Nothing of his has come to the market in a really long time."
The auction is scheduled for Saturday, September 22 at 2 p.m.
Below is a description of the carving courtesy of Nest Egg Auctions:
This monumental carving from 1961 and is carved of white pine with a mahogany grasshopper. Purchased by Walter Chrysler for the Chrysler Museum 1962 and later deaccessioned to a private collector. William Kent is a 93-yr-old prolific woodcarver and printmaker who resides in Durham, Conn. and is the inventor the slate print. He has created hundreds of monumental carved wood sculptures and has received serious recognition from critics and museums. Measures approximately 22" x 48" x 22". The grasshopper's leg has been damaged and is loose, plus evidence of minor repairs. Signed with the artists Monogram under the shoe.
Visit Nest Egg Auctions' website for more details.
