The six figurines collectively known as Neptune’s Children were the final sculptures produced by the Quaintance Studio. The set consisted of two buxom mermaids and four nude male swimmers who echoed the models of the paintings, Coral Reef and Sunlit Depths. They were priced at $5 per figurine, or $20 for the complete set.
Neptune’s Children were not included in the studio’s Sculpture catalog (an insert was later added), and the first ads placed in magazines appeared nearly at the same time as Quaintance’s death. The molds for all the Quaintance sculptures still existed, however, and George’s business partners continued to fill orders for them. Nevertheless, it’s tempting to speculate that fewer Neptune’s Children were sold than of the previous sculptures.
When researching the Quaintance biography, I never found a complete set of the sculptures anywhere. Collectors owned one or a few, and they were mostly damaged and painted. (They were sold only in “natural white” hydrostone.) It was many years later that I first found a person who owned a complete set and was willing to sell it.
Now it’s time to pass it along, so I am offering it for sale as a complete set. It’s an unprecedented opportunity for a collector. One of the male swimmers has a hairline crack in one ankle, otherwise the figurines are in pristine, like-new condition. They have not been painted. Quaintance’s name is scratched into the back of each with a stylus.
Here’s a rudimentary view. If you would like to make an offer on the set, I will send you detailed front and back photos. I will entertain offers of $10,000 or more; please email me at the address above. If a buyer does not materialize, I will sell the statues individually on eBay.Thank you for your consideration.