2020 June Auction Highlighted by Caddies For A Cause Benefit
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 6/21/2020
Champion Golfer Harry Vardon Bronze by Hal Ludlow - REG. 427265 Feb 1904 - 2 plus ft Tall! RARE (5 Known)!
Exceptionally rare with only five known to exist large format Harry Vardon bronze measuring a visually impressive 26" tall. The "father of the modern golf swing", Vardon's statuette wields a club that measures 11 1/2". One of the greatest players in golf history and one of those most responsible for popularizing the game. As the leading member of the "Great Triumvirate," with James Braid and J.H. Taylor, Vardon dominated the game in the late 19th century and early part of the 20th. A period that saw him notch a record, that remains intact one hundred years later, of six career British Open triumphs. It was his play in the Championship that helped inspire frequent attendee, accomplished amateur golfer and sculptor Hal Ludlow to create this pre-eminent work of golf statuary. Ludlow's enthusiasm for Vardon's play led him to take clay in hand portraying the swing of the golfer whom he admired. In an artists attention to detail he crafted the light folds of the Norfolk jacket, the belt loosely buckled at the back, the cuffs turned back, the interlocked grip of the sinewy hands - every minute characteristic etched in what would become enduring bronze. When Vardon saw the life-like statuette of his swing completed he remarked: "when I finish like that, I've hit one of the best." The base is stamped " Harry Vardon" and "Hal Ludlow 1904". This is the first example we have offered of either the 10" or 26" Elkington Company product and it would be hard to imagine a finer example. As most collectors are aware, any and all of the Vardon - Ludlow statuettes in any size format are scarce with the chance to own the two foot tall original format bronze crafting a pinnacle of golf collecting that is for most a nonexistent opportunity.
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