Mark Hopkins "The Fisherman" Bronze Sculpture, Signed Ltd. Ed. 942/2500, ©1989

He's mid-stream, waist-deep, rod bent in the classic forward-cast arc — the moment just before the fly settles on the water. Mark Hopkins captures it with the loose, gestural modeling that became his signature: waders and jacket built up in heavy, churning texture that reads like moving current, set against a face rendered with quiet specificity — the focused squint, the set jaw, the slight forward lean of a man who has done this a thousand times and still means every cast. The flexible wire rod extends well beyond the bronze figure, giving the piece a kinetic reach that static casting can't match, and the free-form pool base ripples convincingly underfoot.

Hopkins worked out of his studio in Martinez, Georgia, and through Mark Hopkins Sculpture, Inc., built one of the more commercially successful American figurative bronze programs of the late 1980s and 1990s. His subjects — working people, sportsmen, frontiersmen, and characters drawn from everyday American life — were aimed squarely at collectors who wanted narrative and warmth over abstraction. This fisherman is one of his most immediately legible works: it requires no explanation, carries instant emotional resonance, and displays well in a study, cabin, or den. The base is incised Mark Hopkins © 89 and stamped edition 942/2500, with original felt on the underside intact.

CONDITION

Good with no remarkable damage. Patina is rich and even across the figure and base, consistent with a well-kept interior piece. The flexible wire rod is intact and holds its curve; the fine tip carries expected delicacy given the construction.

DIMENSIONS / SPECIFICATIONS

• Overall: 8 1/4" H × 13 1/2" W × 9 1/4" D
• Weight: 7 lbs 12.1 oz
• Material: Bronze
• Edition: 942 / 2500
• Signed: Mark Hopkins, dated ©89
• Original felt bottom intact
• Campbell's Tomato Soup Can (4" H) Shown for Scale — Not Included