The Collection of JZ Holden

THE MALTESE FALCON

A plaster cast of The Maltese Falcon. Black painted plaster replica statue of the famous falcon from the 1941 film The Maltese Falcon, likely made circa 1975. Without markings. 11 1/2 x 4 inches (29 x 10 cm). A few chips to plaster.

Provenance: Collection of illustrator Jules Feiffer (1929-2005); gifted to Jules Feiffer circa 1975 from the artist, cartoonist, playwright and screenwriter Herb Gardner (1934-2003); by descent to the Collection of JZ Holden, Jules Feiffer's widow. The falcon was pictured in Feiffer's studio in the 8 October 2008 New York Times article At Home with Jules Feiffer where it was given pride of place in the beloved illustrator's studtio, and it was noted: "Casting an eye over it all: a reproduction of the Maltese Falcon. Years ago, the playwright Herb Gardner bundled the ebony bird in newspaper and left it outside Mr. Feiffer’s door on West End Avenue. 'It always annoyed Herb that I didn’t guess that it came from him,' Mr. Feiffer said." (See screenshot images not present with lot).

While much research has been made into the original props used in the 1941 film The Maltese Falcon, the film noir masterpiece adapted from Dashiell Hammett's 1930 novel, directed by John Huston, and starring none other than Humphrey Bogart, Peter Lorre, and Syndey Greenstreet, full knowledge of later replicas can be as murky as the quest for the falcon itself. The falcon on offer, painted a dark black, with gnarled claws gripping its pedestal and a slightly upturned beak, may likely be from a group frequently described online as the "raised breast feather" brids. An oft-repeated statement is as follows: "Another commonly seen version is the 'raised breast feather' bird, made of plaster or some other lightweight material and painted black. Many of these date from 1975, when Warner Bros. executive Shirley Krim commissioned a limited edition series of "raised breast feather" birds to be distributed to executives and other industry VIPs. That edition of 250 was issued with a small plaque on the pedestal identifying the bird as part of a special edition, but this plaque is often missing. None of the "raised breast feather" birds, whatever their vintage, are a visual match to the bird that appears on screen in the 1941 film."

The 1975 replica birds are thought to have been made as a publicity stunt surrounding the spoof comedy starring George Segal titled The Black Bird. It is feasible that Herb Gardner, who had been married to Rita Gardner and ran in Hollywood circles, could have been given or somehow acquired and "bundled the ebony bird in newspaper and left it outside Mr. Feiffer’s door on West End Avenue" as a bit of hilarity between these New York illustrators. We do not trace another replica as such at auction, and evidence of the existence of "Warner Bros. executive Shirley Krim" has also proven elusive. But here, hopefully to be forever known as the Jules Feiffer Maltese Falcon, is a great example of "the stuff that dreams are made of."