California Pottery, Figurines, I love lucy, I love Lucy Props, Stewart B McCulloch

Another look at Lucy’s Asian Statue

11 Comments


screeshot

Comparison of recently sold prop to I love lucy screenshot of same item.

Here we have an interesting side by side comparison of a photo of the Asian statue prop that was sold at auction last year for $24,000, next to a screen capture from an I Love Lucy episode showing the Asian statue prop in use in that episode.

The auction picture is from the Premier Props auction and shows the recent condition of the figurine with obvious staining and markings.

At first glance the painting of  face and the cursive black details on the borders of the kimono appear to be a match although the b/w screen capture is blurred, this is significant because each statue was hand painted and therefore slightly different.

The no. 1 arrows above  compare a sideways ‘V’ shaped mark on the left chest that seems to exist in both pictures.
The no. 2 arrows are comparing the stain on the left picture to a shadow or shape approximately the same shape and position below the kimono sleeves on the statue in the screenshot.
These do indeed appear to be pictures of the same statue.  It is reasonable to assume that more than one pair of these statues were in the possession of the prop department in case of breakages over the years that the show was in production.  However in this instance we seem to have a match..

I love Lucy Original Prop Asian Statue Photo Credit: Rick Carl
I love Lucy Original Prop Asian Statue Photo Credit: Rick Carl

I wondered about the staining of the figure – why would it appear in the set photo?  From my own experience photographing  vintage statues for the previous blog post I notice they are very shiny and reflective.  It is possible that a dulling spray1 was applied to the statue to reduce glare and reflections under the studio lights – this is still a common practice for set dressing  – and which has worn off near the base to expose a cleaner spot where hands would have grasped it in moving it around the set numerous times.

I Love Lucy original prop statue detail Photo: Rick Carl
I Love Lucy original prop statue detail Photo: Rick Carl

Below is a rare color photo from the set. One thing that stands out on closer inspection is an absence of glare or reflections from any of the props apart from the balloon and the drinking glass and mirror. The framed pictures have no glass . The statues are dull with no reflective highlights. Here are the Asian statues on either side of the mantelpiece and in color.  The statue on the left seems to match the prop above. The female statue to the right has a yellowish appearance when it should have been more pink like Lucy’s blouse because matching pairs of these figurines are always found with the same colors – is this due to a dulling substance that was routinely applied to set dressing items to reduce reflections  and which we still see on the genuine prop today?.

Rare color photo shpwing the Asian statues
Rare color photo showing the Asian statues

Nov 1 Update: Additional photos added courtesy of Rick Carl showing the statue in finer detail. Many thanks to Rick for his contribution.

References:

1. Glossary of Film Terms, Vol. 31, Num. 2 (2009-05)  Dulling spray: often hairspray or creme makeup was used a traditional solution to reduce shine on set dressing objects

11 thoughts on “Another look at Lucy’s Asian Statue”

  1. I was present at this auction and believe me, it was something to behold. I was able to actually handle and photograph the item in detail before the auction and all my research came up with the same conclusion…that this was the real deal. Everything seemed to match this particular prop. It took about 8-10 minutes in total for this famous figurine to sell. It started at $700 then for awhile they stopped the auction to describe it more in detail and marvel at it’s authenticity. I even popped up and shared a few screen grabs to the TV host (the auction was televised around the country) who was happy to share the shots with the audience. Eventually, the item actually sold for $25,000! I know they could not reveal who actually bought the item, but the auctioneers did share that it was a collector of TV merchandise and that HE was thrilled to finally own an authentic item from “I Love Lucy!” The question is (and possible the stories are true that she was broken years ago) but where is his mate?

  2. Thank you for your fascinating comment and insight into the occasion – I would love to have been there! – are your photos online? I’m looking for clearer screen shots – the Asian statues made by Stewart B McCulloch that we still see on eBay etc are each as unique as a signature because of the hand painting details.
    I have added a new paragraph at the end on my thoughts about the coating on the statue. see above…

  3. Sorry to be so late in answering about the shots took…but not sure how to post here. I did add Photobucket links and it came back with a message that this was Spam.

    1. Hi, Sorry, the spam setting were only allowing one link – I have changed the setting now
      please resubmit your links
      Thanks so much!
      Pat

      1. Still does not work for me to post the 4 shots….so I posted them individually….if this not does not work, please email me your address and I will be happy to send them.

        Again…great job on the site!

        Best,
        Rick

        1. Thanks RDC – Great photos and a rare chance to see the details of the statue plus its easier to see the coating on the surface looks like a dulling spray used on the set as I expected – and its shiny where the original surface shows through . Great Work!

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