Wilhelm Hunt Diederich (American, 1884-1953) Fighting Goats, 1917 Bronze with dark brown patina 23-1/4 inches (59 cm) high Inscribed on base: Hunt Diederich / 1917 Inscribed along base: ROMAN BRONZE WORKS N-Y- PROVENANCE: Private collection, California, circa 1970s; Acquired by the present owner from the above EXHIBITED: (possibly) Kingore Galleries, New York, "First American Exhibition of Sculpture by Hunt Diederich," April 20-May 12, 1920; The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, "Forty-Third Annual Exhibition of American Paintings and Sculpture," October 30-December 14, 1930, no. 221, n.p.; (possibly) Roman Bronze Works Gallery, New York, circa 1940, no. 3. Throughout his career, Wilhelm Hunt Diederich maintained a lifelong fascination with animal subjects—capturing their movement, energy, and instinctual behavior with remarkable sensitivity. He returned to the theme of fighting goats several times over the course of his career, the present work representing his earliest exploration of the subject in 1917. A later work of the same title, in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, demonstrates his continued engagement with this motif nearly two decades later (Fighting Goats, circa 1936, bronze, 39 inches high, Fletcher Fund, 1955, Object Number: 55.103). While the later example in The Met's collection is a highly stylized depiction, both works share the same compositional structure—one of the goats rears onto its hind legs, asserting dominance within the charged exchange, its body extending upward into a dynamic, vertical thrust, the bronze coming to a peak with the sharp point of its horns. Presently only two casts of this version of Fighting Goats have been located—one example in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, Ohio, and the present work being offered for sale. A version of this model, Fighting Goats, was exhibited at the Roman Bronze Works Gallery in the 1940s, suggesting it may have been the present work or another unlocated cast. The present work was exhibited at The Art Institute of Chicago in 1930 and still retains the original exhibition label on the underside. HID12401132022 © 2026 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved www.HA.com/TexasAuctioneerLicenseNotice

(possibly) Kingore Galleries, New York, "First American Exhibition of Sculpture by Hunt Diederich," April 20-May 12, 1920; The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, "Forty-Third Annual Exhibition of American Paintings and Sculpture," October 30-December 14, 1930, no. 221, n.p.; (possibly) Roman Bronze Works Gallery, New York, circa 1940, no. 3. Presently only two casts of Fighting Goats have been located, including one example in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, Ohio, as well as the present lot. A version of Fighting Goats was exhibited at the Roman Bronze Works Gallery in the 1940spossibly the present work or another unlocated cast.

Private collection, California, circa 1970s; Acquired by the present owner from the above

Condition report available upon request.