$7,703
Carved and Painted Walnut Figure of William Penn, by the Reverend Robert Smith Grier, signed and dated on the bottom of the base by the carver "Cut by Rev'd R. S. Grier March, 1853" and also signed in two additional places on the base, the figure and base with applied gold paint, ht. 12 1/2 in. Provenance: By direct descent through the family from Robert Smith Grier to the present owner. Note: The following research conducted by Ruth Richards in her history of Emmitsburg Presbyterian Church, Michael Hillman, the director of the Emmitsburg Area Historical Society, and the consignor, expands our knowledge about the figure and its maker: "Rev. Robert Grier was born in 1790 and died in 1865. He was born at Brandywine Manor, Chester County, PA, the son of the Presbyterian minister, Rev. Nathan Grier and Susanna Smith Grier. Rev. Nathan Grier's parents had emigrated from Northern Ireland. Robert Grier attended Brandywine Academy and graduated from Dickinson College in 1809. He studied theology under the instruction of his father, was licensed to preach in 1812 and installed as the pastor of the Presbyterian Church at Tom's Creek, MD, in April 1814...The church was moved in 1839 to Emmitsburg where the present church, built in 1904 following a fire, still stands. Rev. Grier served as the pastor of this church from 1814 until his death in 1865. A memorial pamphlet on the history of the Emmitsburg Presbyterian Church, published in 1875, mentions Reverend Robert Grier's wood Read more…
Auctioneer:
Skinner
Date:
2009-06-07
