Lot 199: Stone Carved Dog Sculpture, Callahan Family of Tennessee

Large carved limestone (or Tennessee grey marble) dog sculpture on an integral plinth, with intricately carved eyes, mouth, wavy fur, and rudder tail (or table sweeper) that fans on both sides and across the back of the sculpture. From the Knoxville, Tennessee estate of George Washington Callahan (1862-1927), the dog stood sentinel in front of the Callahan home, Amberwood Hall, at their Valley View Farm estate. Possibly modeled after a Newfoundland farm dog named Grover that Callahan owned in 1907. The stone dog was once the victim of a mischievous heist by University of Tennessee students when, in 1948, his front paws and base were cracked and then repaired. Photo sequence includes a photo of the dog statue in front of the Callahan family home c.1910, plus Knoxville newspaper articles of the lost dog classified ad in 1907 and the student heist coverage in 1948.  38 in. H x 17 in. W. 32 in. D. Early 20th c. or before. Biographical Note: From stone cutter’s apprentice to marble-yard owner, then alderman, successful railroad builder, and gentleman farmer, George Washington Callahan is a prominent figure in Knoxville’s history, remembered today for the road and I-75 interstate exit that bears his name. Callahan’s firm was enlisted as fabricators for many statues and monuments in the region, including Knoxville’s Confederate Monument, a Tennessee gray marble sculpture designed by Lloyd Branson and carved by Union veteran George Hoyle Whitaker, who served in the 143rd New York Infantry.

PROVENANCE: Irene Sullivan Estate, Oak Ridge, TN descendant of the Callahan family of Knoxville, TN.

CONDITION: Weathering and paint loss, 1 inch chip to tip of nose, and old repair to legs and base sustained by the 1948 heist by UT Students. A hole in the plinth is likely native to the piece, where a chain or railing could have been installed.