RARE 1969 Ferdinand Rebechini MAN ON THE MOON Apollo Bronze SCULPTURE Award NR

Description

Up for bid here is a rare vintage Apollo 11 'Man on the moon' bronze sculpture mounted on a wooden base by renowned artist Ferdinand Rebechini or F. Rebechini, 1923 to 2003. We think this is bronze because of the weight but not 100% sure. This sculpture is in great pre-owned condition with no chips, breaks, cracks or repair. At some time there was a name plate or presentation plate on the front but has since been removed. Please see pics as they are apart of the description. This sculpture represents Neil Armstrong coming down the ladder from the Apollo 11 space capsule, setting the first foot on the surface of the moon. It is signed on on the base of the metal "F. Rebechini". With the wood base included the sculpture m
easures approx. 8 3/4" tall to the top of the ladder, 7 1/2" long and 4 1/2" wide across at the base. It weighs approx. 8 pounds by itself unwrapped and unboxed. Folk
's, this is a great rare signed bronze Man on the moon' sculpture and it w
ould go great in a collection, classroom, man cave or home.
We just received a email from a helpful knowledgeable gentlemen and we thought we would share it with you.
My name is Rory. Here's what I know. I was involved in the Skylab program in the 70s (active duty Air Force).
Overview: The sculpture depicts Astronaut Neil Armstrong as he prepares to step off the Lunar Lander foot pad onto the moon's surface. NASA weighed the pros and cons of who should step first onto the moon. The story I heard while working both at Patrick AFB and Cape Kennedy in the early 70s was that both Armstrong and Aldrin were qualified but NASA felt that a Civilian should be the first person on the moon.
Basis for the Sculptural Design: The piece is modeled after a painting by Norman Rockwell depicting man's first step onto the moon (titled: Man on the moon). That painting and this statue are the same. The painting was used in a January 10th, 1967 fold out of Life Magazine. At the time of the painting, it wasn’t assured it would be Neil Armstrong.
Basis for the Norman Rockwell Painting: Rockwell modeled the painting after a NASA photo of Neil Armstrong wearing a suit during training. NASA used a Lunar Lander Mockup of the decent steps. They had to make sure an astronaut could safely ascend and descend while wearing a 180lb (30lbs on the moon) spacesuit. The suit weight on the moon wasn’t the primary problem. The bulkiness of the suit made it difficult to stand without assistance after a fall on the moon, even in moon gravity.
Program: Apollo 11
Title: First Step On The Moon
Artist: Ferdinand Rebechini (1926 – 2002)
Signed: F. Rebechini
Circa: Late 1960’s (actually 1968 – 1969
Original Design Source: NASA / Norman Rockwell
Production Run: Less than 1000
Medium: Cast Bronze
Foundry: Art Casting Inc. Elk Grove Illinois
Original Brass Plaque on Base: Challenger Award (most common)
Dimensions: 9X6X5 inches (roughly)
Weight: 7lbs (internal casting remnants resulted in differing weights
If the statue origin were more widely known, I believe the value would be much higher.
Hope it helps! Rory K. Rogan.
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