518: 1870s Chicago Fire Cow Porcelain by French Start Price USD 1,500.00 Current Price USD 1,500.00 Time Left - Bid Count 1 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Saturday, December 13, 2008 End Time Saturday, December 13, 2008 Location Chicago, IL See more about '518: 1870s Chicago Fire Cow Porcelain by French' Description Current Lot 1870s Chicago Fire Cow Porcelain by French The Great Chicago Fire began on the fateful evening of October 8, 1871 in the barn of Patrick and Catherine O'Leary on the city's west side. When the fire was finally extinguished two days later, over three square miles of Chicago had burned to the ground and over three hundred people had perished in the most destructive fire in U.S. history. The O'Leary home survived. Investigative accounts failed to determine the exact cause of the blaze, but it is now widely accepted into folklore that the blame lay squarely on Mrs. O'Leary's cow, the subject of this historically significant Parian porcelain group, entitled "The Chicago Incendiary," dating from the early 1870s. The innocent cow as depicted is about to kick over an oil lamp and catapult herself into American infamy. This is an especially rare model by Daniel Chester French (1850-1931), the preeminent sculptor who concentrated on patriotic and historical subjects throughout his career. He is responsible for several highly important American monuments, most notably the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C., completed in 1922, and the life-size "Minute Man" bronze memorial in Concord, Massachusetts, erected in 1875. This important figure is presented in very fine, original condition. Length 8 in. Place a Bid!