(2) After Alexander Phimister Proctor Bronze Horsehead Bookends

Lot description

(pair) Patinated bronze bookends, "With Texas Memories," signed in cast after A.P. Proctor (Alexander Phimister Proctor, American, 1862-1950), posthumous cast under the artist's daughter Mary Onahotema "Nona" Proctor Church (American, 1907-2000), dated 1973, numbered 13/ 50, foundry mark for Ace Powell Bronze (Ace [Asa Lynn] Powell, American, 1912-1978), each modeled as a horse's head with ears pinned back, on a stepped wood plinth, overall: approx 12.5"h, 7.25"w, 13"d; 29lbs total Provenance: From the estate of Connie Todd (Constance Clare Todd, Austin, Texas, 1941-2024). For many years, Connie Todd was the personal assistant to prominent Austin-based book publisher, photographer, and author Bill Wittliff (William Dale Wittliff, American, active in Austin, Texas, 1940-2019). Bill Wittliff wrote celebrated screenplays such as "Lonesome Dove" (1982), "Legends of the Fall" (1994), and "Barbarosa" (2000), and founded the regionally-oriented publishing company, Encino Press, with his wife Sally in 1963. Connie Todd later served as the founding director of the Wittliff Collections at Texas State University from 1997-2010, transforming it into an internationally-acclaimed collection through noteworthy acquisitions such as the Cormac McCarthy archive. After retiring from Texas State, Connie Todd spent time traveling the world with friends and family.