Lot 381

Hershey 2023

'Spirit of Mercedes (The First Century)' by Stanley Wanlass, 1985

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$5,750 USD | Sold

United States | Hershey, Pennsylvania

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Stanley Wanlass

Bronze with painted highlights by the artist; mounted on a walnut base

Inscribed “Wanlass ‘85” and numbered 6/30

Executed in 1985

Length: 27 in.

Carl Benz, seated alongside passenger Gottleib Daimler, is symbolically guided down the road by the spirit of Mercedes; she lights the way with a burning torch held over the single front wheel. Mercédès Jellinek, daughter of automotive entrepreneur Emil Jellinek, lent her name to the famous marque, which was introduced by Daimler in 1901 and became Mercedes-Benz in 1926. The sculpture, created in 1985, celebrates the centennial of Benz’s historic Patent-Motorwagen from 1886. Of the 30 examples made, this is number six.