John Rogers Sculpture

Q: I have a Sleepy Hollow plaster figurine I got from my uncle who passed. The base is marked “John Rogers, New York” and “Courtship in Sleepy Hollow, Ichabod Crane and Katrina Van Tassel.” On the back it says “Patented Aug. 25, 1868.” It looks authentic but how would I know? How many were made and what sort of value does it or could it have?

A: John Rogers (1829-1904) was an American sculptor who made plaster “group” sculptures and painted them the color of putty. Rogers was known as “the people’s sculptor.” Copies of his sculptures were mass produced and sold at prices the middle class could afford. He worked from 1859 to 1892 and created over 85 sculptures, which were then cast to make over 80,000 copies. The “Courtship in Sleepy Hollow” sculpture was made in 1868 and released in time for Christmas. A slightly smaller size was made in parian, an unglazed biscuit porcelain resembling Parian marble. These were probably unauthorized reproductions, possibly made in England or France. The price of authentic sculptures has been going up since 2015. An expert would need to see your figurine to authenticate it and estimate its value.