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Click here to subscribeAn Austrian cold painted bronze model of a Levantine carpet seller, circa 1900, by Bergman of Vienna, portrayed standing and traditionally robed, gesturing with his right hand at the carpet held up in his left, the underside inscribed with a 'B' and 'GESCH' within an urn in the maquette, 11cm high, 15cm long
Sir George James Frampton RA, (1860 ~ 1928), a patinated bronze model of Peter Pan, dated 1921, after J.M.Barrie's original commission in Kensington Gardens, portrayed standing with left foot forward, his pipes held to his lips in his left hand, the shaped base dated, monogrammed GF and inscribed PP within a circle in the maquette, atop a rectangular Connemara marble socle, 51cm high overall, 34cm wide CATALOGUE NOTES: Sir George Frampton was born in London, the son of a stone carver, he trained as an architect before studying sculpture at Lambeth School of Art and later at the Royal Academy Schools, where he won a Gold Medal and a Travelling Scholarship to Paris to the studio of Antonin Mercie, in 1887 Alongside Hamo Thornycroft, Harry Bates, Alfred Drury, Bertam Mackennal, and Alfred Gilbert, Frampton was a central figure of the New Sculpture movement, who rejected classical prototypes in favour of new allegorical subjects, expressing abstract ideas about the human condition. Part of the New Sculpture phenomenon was what came to be termed the ‘Cult of the Statuette’, which had links to concepts of the house beautiful and the home as a place where art could inspire or give expression to an aesthetic ideal. In the 1880s and 1890s the production of statuettes became a major new business and an important method by which the New Sculpture was disseminated Frampton received numerous honours and produced many public monuments, including a number of statues of Queen Victoria, Queen Mary, and the Edith Cavell Memorial 1920. His most iconic work is his sculpture of Barrie’s famous literary character, Peter Pan. Placed in Kensington Gardens, overnight and without permission as a surprise gift to local children, Frampton’s Pan is both enchanting and unsettling, reflecting the eternal youth for which Pan was famed Cf Lyon & Turnbull, Decorative Arts: Design Since 1860, 6th April 2016, lot 413 Also Christie's London, Victorian, Pre-Raphaelite & British Impressionist Art, 11th December 2014, lot 9
Charles Alexandre Malfray, (French 1887 ~ 1940), a patinated bronze model of the head of a girl, her face with characteristically stark features turned a little to dexter, her centrally parted hair falling to each side, signed and numbered in the maquette CH.MALFRAY 2/8, 24cm high, 25cm wide PROVENANCE: Gifted by Malfray to a fellow artist and close friend, the grandfather of the current vendor -and thence by descent CATALOGUE NOTES: Born the son of an Orléans stonemason he was a student of the École des Beaux-Arts d'Orléans. At seventeen, he attended the School of Decorative Arts in Paris and the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts. He however rejected the academic teaching of the college and became attracted by the art of the Montmartre-based Auguste Rodin and Antoine Bourdelle Malfray survived the First World War after being gassed and taking part in the Battle of Verdun, but was deeply affected by his experiences. Together with his brother, he created war memorials to the dead of Pithiviers (1920) and Orleans (1924), whose modernism was highly debated. In 1920 he was awarded the Prix Blumenthal, but ruined by the work and ill as a result of the war, he almost gave up sculpture However, in 1931, his friend Aristide Maillol appointed him his successor as professor at the Académie Ranson in Paris. During the following years, Malfray had many students in his workshop, including Étienne Martin, François Stahly, Nessa Cohen, and Jean Le Moal Cf Christie's South Kensington, Impressionist, Modern and Post-War Art, 5th December 2002, lot 42 for a comparable work by the artist
λFrancois Brochet, (French 1925 ~ 2001), a patinated bronze relief panel, portraying a couple embracing, signed in the maquette, limited edition 2/8, indistinct foundry mark, 108cm high, 25.5cm wide λ Indicates that this lot may be subject to Droit de Suite royalty charges. Please see our Terms & Conditions for more information.
λEnzo Plazzotta, (1921 ~ 1981) A Horse For Judy, a patinated bronze model of a horse cornering at speed, with sculptor’s triform mark, limited edition 5/8, 36.5cm high, 71cm long λ Indicates that this lot may be subject to Droit de Suite royalty charges. Please see our Terms & Conditions for more information.
λCatharni Stern, (British 1925 ~ 2015), a bronze equestrian group of three race horses, jockeys up, the shaped base inscribed CATHARNI 1969 and monogrammed in the maquette, above a shaped white marble socle, 26cm high, 40cm long PROVENANCE: Private Collection, London λ Indicates that this lot may be subject to Droit de Suite royalty charges. Please see our Terms & Conditions for more information.
James Osborne, (1940 ~ 1992), Ballyregan Bob, a patinated bronze model of the famous racing greyhound, portrayed at speed, the base inscribed in the maquette Osborne 7/100, atop a square section polished black marble base, 23cm high overall, 26cm longBillyregan Bob, Mick the Miller and Scurlogue Champ were arguably the three greatest hounds that ever raced in Britain. Ballyregan Bob was a brindle dog and was whelped in May 1983. Trained by George Curtis he would become world famous for breaking the world record for consecutive race wins Please Note: This lot does not appear in the printed catalogue
λ Ben Panting, (British b.1964), The Buck, a patinated bronze model of a hare, portrayed seated on its haunches on a block plinth, signed and numbered 2/8 in the maquette along the side of the square base, 17cm high λ Indicates that this lot may be subject to Droit de Suite royalty charges. Please see our Terms & Conditions for more information.
A north Italian, probably Florentine sculpted terracotta bust of Christ the Redeemer, in the manner of Andrea del Verrocchio (1435 ~ 1488), late 15th / early 16th century, typically portrayed with finely wrought features and naturalistically modelled hair and beard, the head pierced in two places at the top and back for the previous positioning of an aureole, above a larger aperture at the back, 38cm high, 42cm wide PROVENANCE: Private Collection, London CATALOGUE NOTES: The symmetrical facial features, domed forehead, central parting of the hair and forked beard of this idealised bust of Christ, are ultimately derived from Verrocchio's celebrated figure of the Redeemer from his monumental Christ and St. Thomas bronze group on Orsanmichele in Florence, which was begun in 1467. This conception became one of the canonical models for Christ, profoundly influencing generations of Florentine artists long after Verrocchio's death Like the Verrocchio model, the present figure of Christ gazes out with his head tilted to one side. An interesting comparison is made in a terracotta bust of Christ attributed to Pietro Torrigiani (1472 ~ 1528) in the Museo d'Arte Sacra, San Gimignano , which is also inspired by Verrocchio's bronze. Note, in particular, the similar asymmetrical arrangement of the drapery. A further relevant comparison, notably in the turned head and in the modelling of the beard, is found in a Florentine bust of Christ, dating to the second half of the 15th-century, in the Victoria and Albert Museum (inv. no. 6862-1860) The present bust is particularly well modelled and, in its calm serenity, conveys the sense of 'authenticity', which Butterfield suggests made Verrocchio's model of Christ such a successful and enduring image (op. cit.). However, although generally regarded as originating in the Verrocchio workshop, terracotta busts of this type were probably produced by contemporaries outside of the master's studio Examples do appear at auction from time to time. See Sotheby's New York, Selected Renaissance and Mannerist Works of Art Assembled by Fabrizio Moretti, 29th January 2015, lot 130 Also Sotheby's New York, Important Old Master Paintings and Sculpture, 31st January 2013, lot 349 Also Sotheby's London, European Sculpture & Works of Art: Medieval to Modern, 2nd July 2013, lot 36 Also Christie's New York, Continental Furniture, Works of Art, Tapestries & Carpets, 25th/26th September 2001, lot 255 RELATED LITERATURE J. Pope-Hennessy, Catalogue of Italian Sculpture in the Victoria and Albert Museum, vol. I, London, 1964, pp. 209-210, no. 197 A. Butterfield, The Sculptures of Andrea del Verrocchio, New Haven/ London, 1997, pp. 56-80 B. Boucher (ed.), Earth and Fire. Italian Terracotta Sculpture from Donatello to Canova, exh. cat. The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and The Victoria and Albert Museum, London, New Haven/ London, 2001, pp. 150-151, no. 22
A bronze alloy garden water fount modelled as a boy with a wheelbarrow, second half 20th century, the infant portrayed nude and standing holding the barrow by its handles, the barrow modelled as a rocaille leaf, a water pipe running from the boy's left foot in to the barrow, 74cm high, 100cm long
An Italo-Netherlandish bronze model of a seated female bather, circa 1600, portrayed with her knees drawn up towards her face, washing her right foot with both hands, the integral circular base cast with drapery, atop a later rectangular striated marble socle, the bronze 8.25cm high, the height overall, 10.5cm CATALOGUE NOTES: Two almost identical examples are held at the Staatliche Museen, Berlin-Dahlem Cf Wilhelm Bode, The Italian Bronze Statuettes of the Renaissance, M.A.S. De Reinis, New York, 1980, plate CCXVII , items i and iii
A bronze alloy garden fountain in Renaissance style, last quarter 20th century, surmounted by a figure of a classically draped maiden holding a water jar, on a waisted and acanthus cast plinth, within a circular basin with scalloped edging supported above four adorsed dolphins to a quatrefoil base, approximately 230cm high, 130cm diameter
Attributed to Severo Calzetta da Ravenna (active circa 1496-1543), Italian, Padua, first half 16th century, a bronze model of a kneeling satyr mounted as an oil lamp, portrayed horned and bearded with open mouth, kneeling on his left knee, the spherical lamp, possibly later mounted, relief cast with Sun and stars, held aloft in his raised right hand, the triangular base raised on three bun feet, 24.5cm high PROVENANCE: Private Collection, London CATALOGUE NOTES: Since Planiscig's identification in 1935 of the signature O.SEVERI.RA on a bronze sea-monster with the sculptor Severo da Ravenna, a coherent corpus of bronze statuettes has been attributed to this contemporary of Andrea Riccio. Fifty years later a bronze of a kneeling satyr with the initials SE was convincingly identified as a second autograph model by Severo (Christie's London, 8 July 1981, lot 341). The present kneeling satyr compares closely with the initialled example, especially in the treatment of the teeth and tongue. The long central fringe of hair is, however, distinctly different The globe oil lamp is an unusual accoutrement for the kneeling Satyr model which normally holds a candle nozzle or shell. The globe on the present bronze seems to be based on one held by the Atlas in the Frick Collection, New York which appears to be the finest of several known versions, including those held by another Atlas figure formerly in the Adolph von Beckerath collection and on a variant kneeling Satyr, illustrated Country Life, 6th April 1961, p.753. It is likely, however, that the globe on the present Satyr is a later addition, because it is pinned rather than screwed onto the right hand RELATED LITERATURE D. Smith, 'I bronzi di Severo da Ravenna: un approccio tecnologico per la cronologia,' in M. Ceriana and V. Avery, L'Industria artistica del bronzo del rinascimento a Venezia e nell'Italia settentrionale,Venice, 2008, p. 49-80, figs.19, 20, 38-41, 46-47 J. Pope-Hennessy, The Frick Collection, vol.3, Princeton, 1968, pp. 106-111 E. van Binnebeke, Bronssculptuur. Beeldhouwkunst 1500-1800 in de collectie van het Museum Boymans-van Beuningen, Rotterdam, 1994, pp. 52-3, no. 5 V. Krahn, Bronzetti Veneziani. Die Venezianischen Kleinbronzen der Renaissance aus dem Bode-Museum Berlin, ex. cat. Cologne, 2003, pp.72-75, no.15 Cf Beaussant & Lefèvre, Mobilier et Objets d‘Art, 22nd October 2008, lot 45 for a highly comparable example
After Jean Boulogne, called Giambologna, Crouching Nude Female Figure, bronze, 17th century, a variant of the Crouching Venus types, portrayed with her left hand raised and looking upwards in surprise, on an integrally cast loosely circular base, 9.5cm high; Later mounted on to a carved beechwood truncated fluted columnar plinth with square section walnut socle, the overall height, 19cm COMPARATIVE LITERATURE: Wilhelm Bode, The Italian Bronze Statuettes of the Renaissance, M.A.S. De Reinis, New York, 1980. See Pl. CCVIII (iii) for a highly similar example held at the Staatliche Museen, Berlin-Dahlem, described as Florentine and of late 16th century make
A patinated bronze bust of the Emperor Vitellius, probably 17th century and later mounted, cast after the Antique, portrayed in corpulence, his head turned slightly to sinister, 37.5cm high; Atop a waisted circular section white marble socle, 18th century CATALOGUE NOTES: More correctly, this bust would be described as being of the Pseudo-Vitellius type, since opinion that identified the bust as that of the Emperor from the Renaissance onwards has now, with further research been largely revised. The original antique head of the Hadrianic era, upon which the probably erroneous identification was based is held in the Museo di Palazzo Grimani, Venice Please note: the measurement in the catalogue is incorrect. The overall height is 49cm. The dimensions of the bronze itself are 35.5cm high, 28cm wide.
After Francesco Fanelli, (Italian, active 1605 ~ 1665), a gilt bronze table salt or inkstand cast in the form of a triton riding a dolphin, later mounted onto a 19th century stand, the triton portrayed contrapposto and holding a shell to his chest, the dolphin's tail rising up to his left shoulder; the later base cast as a stylised and compartmented scallopshell, the triton mount, 12cm high, the overall dimensions, 16cm high, 25.5cm wide CATALOGUE NOTES: The triton and dolphin element of this inkstand is almost identical to an example held in the Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection, the only differences being the positioning of the shell, which in the bronze offered here is raised higher by the triton, and the lack of a lid to the shell in the example here. The probable regilding of the current example obscures the original finish, but the metal surfaces have certainly been worked beneath However, even closer comparison can be made with a gilt bronze inkstand that was sold by Christie's in their dispersal of the Beit Collection in 2006. Again, the triton and dolphin are almost identical to here, but for the raised positioning of the shell and the lack of a lid. The inkstand at Christie's was dated to the second half of the 19th century, but if the current example were of a similar date and not earlier, its repositioning and refixing on its scallopshell base would be illogical, since the base would be contemporary with the triton and dolphin COMPARATIVE LITERATURE: Irene Martin, Ed., The Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection, Renaissance and Later Sculpture, Sotheby's Publications, 1992, p.250 Christie's London, The Beit Collection of Early Italian Bronzes, 7th December 2006, lot 186
Possibly from the workshop of Louis-François Roubiliac (1702 ~ 1762), a patinated bronze bust of a child, second half 18th century, the smiling face turned to sinister beneath a full head of tousled hair; atop a circular section waisted socle, 31.5cm high CATALOGUE NOTES: Roubiliac was born in Lyon, later apparently moving to Dresden to train in the studio of Balthasar Permoser, himself a product of Bernini's workshop. Permoser was working for the Protestant Elector of Saxony, and later in Paris in the studio of his fellow-townsman Nicolas Coustou. Disappointed in receiving second place in the competition for the Prix de Rome in 1730, he received his medal but not the chance to study in Rome moving instead to London A 1938 article published by Bellamy Gardner first suggested that the Chelsea Factory porcelain bust of the Laughing Child, now in the Ashmolean Museum was modelled by Roubiliac, and scholars have questioned whether the attribution is tenable ever since. While Esdaile accepted it, both Penny and Baker refrained from linking it to him securely - but kept him as a prominent candidate based on circumstantial evidence. Whoever the author - and even Flaxman's name has been raised - the head is clearly based on 17th century Baroque prototypes and in particular Bernini (whom Roubiliac greatly admired) and Duquesnoy. In 2012 another, previously unrecorded Chelsea porcelain bust appeared at auction, being acquired by Bath's Holburne Museum Unusual for its small scale in the context of English 18th century bronze work, the model is sometimes found paired with the bust of a crying child. If intended as pendants, together they may reveal their original identification as the young Heraclitus and Democritus, the cheerful (i.e. laughing) and gloomy (i.e. crying) Greek philosphers A marble version of the Laughing Child by Joseph Nollekens is held at the State Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg Cf. Sotheby's London, European Sculpture & Works of Art, 8th December 2006, lot 132
A French bronze group, the Education of Cupid, late 18th / early 19th century, the central figure of Mercury portrayed nude but for his petasus and seated amongst drapery, pointing with the index finger of his right hand at a scroll stretched across his lap, Cupid held by Mercury's left hand, the oval base cast with a globe, the caduceus, Cupid's quiver and a musical manuscript, 34cm high, 26cm wide
A group of three Regency patinated bronze figural relief mounts of goddesses, circa 1815, portraying Athena and probably Diana and Demeter, all shown as standing and fully draped, Athena wearing her crested helmet and aegis and with a serpent coiled around her, eating from a bowl in her raised right hand, stamped 296 SUMMERS to the reverse in the maquette; Diana shown wearing her diadem and Demeter offering an ear of wheat; 41, 39 and 38cm high respectively
After Pierre Lepautre, (French 1660 ~ 1744), Aeneas and Anchises with Ascanius, a patinated bronze group, of Aeneas' flight from the ruins of Troy with his father and son, the elderly Anchises holding the sacred temple idol, on a rectangular base, 55cm high CATALOGUE NOTES: Pierre Lepautre was a member of a family of prolific artists in many media, who were active in the 17th and 18th centuries. He was born and died in Paris, but having won the Prix de Rome for study at the French Academy in Rome, he produced much of his work in Italy, his Aeneas and Anchises group being one such work. The sculpture gained great renown for Lepautre and bronze reductions of it were made for collectors well into the 19th century, the group offered here being a good quality example of one such piece
Auguste Cain, (French 1821 ~ 1894), a patinated and parcel gilt bronze tazza, circa 1870, the slightly concave circular top relief cast with rabbits and other animals amongst a foliate landscape, inscribed CAIN in the maquette, the tondo inscribed a Son aimi de Laleu, on a waisted and knopped stem spreading to four foliate cast legs, 15cm high, 26cm diameter CATALOGUE NOTES: Auguste Nicholas Caïn was a noted sculptor of the Animaliers school, known for his portrayals of wild and domesticated beasts. Born in Paris, he went on to study under Rude, Guionnet, and Pierre-Jules Mêne (whose daughter he married in 1852). His first exhibit in the Salon of 1846 was a wax model of a linnet defending her nest from a rat, later cast in bronze and shown at the 1855 Salon. Between 1846 and 1888, Caïn exhibited 38 different models at the Salon It must be assumed from the inscription that this fine tazza was selected by Cain as a personal gift for his friend de Laleu
A Neapolitan patinated bronze model of Narcissus, cast after the Antique, late 19th century, almost certainly by the Chiurazzi Foundry, portrayed standing and nude, an animal pelt slung over his left shoulder, on a waisted circular socle cast with stylised foliate to the edge, 63cm high CATALOGUE NOTES: The Naples foundry of Chiurazzi and Sons was one of a small group of foundry houses that specialised throughout the 19th century in producing reproductions in bronze (and also marble) of famous antiquities excavated at Pompeii and Herculaneum. The base of the bronze offered here is most typical of the productions of Chiurazzi & Fils As for the original Narcissus, the bronze was discovered in August 1862 in a humble Pompeian house and was displayed soon afterwards in the Museo Nazionale. The statue was quickly acclaimed as a masterpiece - the 'pearl' of the Neopolitan collection and the Naples Museum maintained that it was the most beautiful bronze ever to have been discovered at Pompeii. It was the last antique statue to be discovered in Italy which enjoyed enormous fame, and the last antique statue to be discovered anywhere to have been so extensively copied
Paul Jean Baptiste Gasq, (French 1860 ~ 1944), Orpheus and Eurydice, a gilt bronze figural group, the lovers portrayed as nude but for loose drapery, Orpheus with arm outstretched in his bid to escape Hades, Eurydice weakening beneath him, Cerberus chained to the rock beneath them, the integrally cast circular base cast with a lyre and with an applied plaque inscribed PRESQUE AUX PORTES DU JOUR, TROUBLÉ HORS DE LUI-MÊME / IL S'ARRÊTE, IL SE TOURNE..... IL REVOIT CE QU'IL AIME / C'EN EST FAIT UN COUP D'OEIL A DÉTRUIT SON BONHEUR / VIRGILE, 81cm high CATALOGUE NOTES: Cf Dorotheum, Vienna, Works of Art Furniture, Sculptures, Glass and Porcelain, 26th April 2017, lot 577
Louis Guillaume Fulconis (1817 ~ 1873), A French patinated bronze model of Fortuna, circa 1860, portrayed as partially draped and standing, her left hand raised, with coins falling from her palm, above her head turned to sinister, a cornucopia of fruit in her right hand, her weight on her right foot, on a winged wheel, the knopped and waisted socle inscribed 'PAR FULCONIS', above a circular marmo nero Belgio base, 61cm high PROVENANCE: The Property of a Gentleman, London
An Italian patinated bronze and marble mounted Grand Tour model of Nike, the winged Victory, probably by Chiurazzi & Fils of Naples, third quarter 19th century, portrayed alighting with her left foot on a sphere, her drapery billowing behind her, a victor's laurel wreath held out before her in her right hand; atop a circular section porfido verde antico marble plinth with moulded base, 62cm high, 45cm wide PROVENANCE: The Property of a Lady
A rectangular relief cast bronze figural panel after the Hittite rock relief at Ivriz, southern Turkey, probably early 20th century, portraying the 8th century B.C. king Warpalawas worshipping Tarhu, the god of weather and vegetation, 26cm high, 22cm wide PROVENANCE: Purchased by the mother of the current vendor in the Basta Market, Beirut, Lebanon in 1968
A near pair of patinated bronze models of the Albani Vase, circa 1875, cast after the Antique, each with everted rim above eight masks cast in high relief and with twin entwined vine handles, on waisted stems and fluted circular bases, 19cm high, 31cm wide and 18cm high, 30cm wide respectively
A Continental patinated bronze model of the Diana of Gabii, last quarter 19th century, cast after the Antique traditionally attributed to Praxiteles, portrayed standing and attired in a short chiton, her head to dexter, her right hand raised to her shoulder to pin the garment, 65cm high CATALOGUE NOTES: According to Pausanias, Praxiteles created the statue of Artemis of Brauron for the Athenian Acropolis. Temple inventories dating from 347/6 BC mention among other things, a 'dedicated statue', described as representing the goddess in a chitoniskos. It is also known that the cult practices for Artemis Brauronia included the consecration of garments offered by girls Praxiteles' statue has long been connected with the Diana of Gabii: the goddess apparently in the act of donning the gift of her followers. Furthermore the head resembles that of the Aphrodite of Cnidus and of the Apollo Sauroctonos which are also attributed to Praxiteles. However, the identification has been questioned on several grounds. Firstly, the inventories discovered at Athens have been proven to be copies of those from the sanctuary at Brauron - it is not certain the cult in Athens also involved the dedication of cloaks. In addition, the short chiton is anachronistic for the fourth century BC and instead suggests a Hellenistic date. Finally, a more recent hypothesis connects Praxiteles' statue of Artemis Brauronia with a head in the Museum of the Ancient Agora, known as the Despinis Head Nevertheless, the Diana of Gabii is of strikingly high quality, and conforms closely to what is commonly considered to be the Praxitelian style, leading some scholars to maintain that the statue is a work of Praxiteles or one of his sons after all The statue was rediscovered in 1792 by Gavin Hamilton on the property of the Prince Borghese at Gabii, not far from Rome. It was immediately added to the prince's collections, but in 1807, suffering from financial difficulties, the Prince was forced to sell the statue to Napoleon, and it was on display in the Louvre from 1820 LITERATURE: Francis Haskell & Nicholas Penny, Taste and the Antique, the Lure of Classical Sculpture, 1500-1900, Yale University Press, 1981, pp. 198-199
A pair of Continental rouge marble and gilt bronze mounted columnar pedestals, circa 1875, each with square marmo nero Belgio revolving top above an Ionic capital, the tapered marmo cipollino rosso shafts descending past egg-and-dart and stylised foliate cast collars to stepped, square section bases, 107.5cm high, the tops 28cm square
Manner of Émile Louis Picault, (French 1833 ~ 1915), a pair of patinated bronze models of an Assyrian king and queen, late 19th century, portrayed standing and in romanticised attire, he looking to sinister, she to dexter; each atop a rectangular section marmo nero Belgio plinth inset with brass panels engraved with pharaonic motifs, 45cm high CATALOGUE NOTES: Close comparison can be drawn with Picault's models of a priest and priestess, see Sotheby's New York, Art Treasures of America: The John F. Eulich Collection, 21st November 2017, lot 136
A French gilt bronze encrier, third quarter 19th century, surmounted by a model of a she-devil or harpy draped around her waist and astride an upturned dolphin, its gaping mouth and the openwork foliate cast vessels either side previously for pens, ink and pounce pots, atop an openwork floral and foliate cast base, 19cm high, 28cm wide
Adrien Étienne Gaudez, (French 1845 ~ 1902), Retour des Hirondelles, (Return of the Swallows), circa 1900, a patinated bronze model of a maiden, portrayed as standing and diaphanously draped, her head inclined to dexter, a billowing sash held up above her, with swallows alighting variously overall; the integrally cast base inscribed A.GAUDEZ in the maquette and with applied title plaque, 97cm high, 35cm wide PROVENANCE: The Property of a Gentleman, London CATALOGUE NOTES: Gaudez was born in Lyon on 2 February 1845 and went on to study under Francois Jouffroy at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris in 1862, making his debut at the Paris Salon in 1864. He worked almost exclusively in bronze and produced a wide array of sculpture, ranging from genre subjects to military and patriotic themes. His earlier work was mostly of a classical nature but in the latter part of his career he produced some pieces that can be categorized as Art Nouveau, such as the elegant and impressive model offered here
A patinated bronze group of a lion and a serpent, in the manner of examples by Antoine-Louis Barye, (French 1795 ~ 1875), second half 19th century, the lion portrayed on its haunches and looking down at the snake entwined around its left forepaw, on a naturalistically cast loosely oval base, 22cm high, 32cm long; atop a shaped and stained hardwood socle, modern, the height overall 26.5cm PROVENANCE: The Property of a Gentleman, London CATALOGUE NOTE The group here is tantalisingly similar to Barye's famous works of the 1830s that were in this theme. All entitled Lion au Serpent but with specific differences, all are highly comparable to this example. Barye's favourite of the various types he produced was Lion au Serpent No.3, esquisse, in which the lion's left paw is raised to strike the snake; and perhaps the most usually encountered group is Lion au Serpent No.1 seconde version, in which the lion is holding the snake to the ground beneath his right forepaw. The example in this lot is most similar in composition to that group, but here of course amongst various other differences, the snake is held down by the left forepaw Other very obvious similarities include, amongst others the fixed downward gaze of the lion, meeting the upward looking head of the snake below, and indeed the craggy and life-experienced look of the lion's face overall. The highly comparable subject matter and composition are so strikingly distinctive as to suggest that this cast, though sadly unsigned was produced as a work directly inspired by Barye's groups COMPARATIVE LITERATURE Poletti, M. & Richarme, A., A.L. Barye, Catalogue Raisonné des Sculptures, Paris, 2000 See Christie's New York, Barye Bronzes: An Important Private Collection, 25th April 2003, lots 18, 19 and 20 for further discussion on the Lion au Serpent version types
Albert Moritz Wolff, (Russian 1854 ~ 1923), a patinated bronze group of a maiden watering horses, late 19th century, the figure portrayed in traditional rustic attire, seated on one of the log sides of the square trough, the two horses standing either side of her, a swing arm cast with a rock counterweight for the bucket above and behind her, signed in Cyrillic in the maquette to one log, 40cm high, 45cm wide overall Cf Sotheby's Amsterdam, Fine European Furniture and Clocks, 16th April 2007, lot 229 Also Litchfield County Auctions, USA, The Winter Antiques Sale: European & American Antiques & Fine Art, 17th February 2010, lot 946
Manner of Antoine-Louis Barye, (French 1795 ~ 1875), a pair of Continental patinated bronze models of a lion and a tiger, late 19th century, naturalistically cast as walking, on rectangular Italian green serpentine marble bases with chamfered upper edges; the bronzes 18cm high and 29cm long and 16cm high and 29cm long respectively; the heights with bases 22 and 20cm respectively CATALOGUE NOTES: It is interesting that the sculptor of these fine bronzes chose to portray a lion and a tiger, rather than a lion and lioness, or indeed a tiger and tigress -particularly since lions and tigers exist in totally separate areas of the world anyway and so of course do not mix. However, this is precisely what the great A-L Barye did in his pair Lion et Tigre qui Marchent, and in fact those models are extremely similar to the ones in this lot. Unlike many of Barye's other lions, variously and famously portrayed in conflict with other beasts, these are shown as calmly walking, heads turned a little in curiosity rather than anything more sinister, with tails down and a generally unstressed posture, -precisely as those offered here are portrayed. Barye clearly, was a very strong influence in the creation of the current works COMPARATIVE LITERATURE: M. Poletti, A. Richarme, Barye. Catalogue raisonné des sculptures, Paris, 2000, pp. 187-188, and pp. 198-199 Cf Sotheby's Paris, Important Mobilier, Sculptures, Objets d'Art et Tableaux, 27th April 2017, lot 290 Also Christie's London, The Opulent Eye - 500 Years: Decorative Arts Europe, 14th March 2013, lot 139
A sculpted brêche violette marble and gilt bronze mounted urn in Louis XV style, mid 19th century, the marble lid with chased gilt foliate surmount, the gadrooned baluster marble body with scrolled gilt handles and scrolled supports, on an octagonal marble base with incurved corners, 58cm high PROVENANCE: The Ballyedmond Collection
Collection of GB Commemorative Medallions, including a silver presentation medallion presented to Ralph Ward 6th Company Birmingham Loy Association, a medallion for St Georges Church Wolverhampton; Commemorative coin for Tipton New Church, commemorative coin for Lords Brougham National Association for the Promotion of Social Science, two Emperor Napoleon Commemorative coins, Prince of Wales and Princess Alexandra commemorative coin, Prince and Princess of Wales Royal Visit to Birmingham, George IV Commemorative Coin together with a small quantity of bronze commemorative coins.
A French figural bronze and marble mantel clock modelled as Marsyas playing the flute, the chapter ring set with Roman numerals, unsigned, height approx 69cm. CONDITION REPORT: Runs but this is not a guarantee of working order or keeping of time, there are some splits to both sections of the marble, the movement has in relatively recent history been cleaned, general surface wear, left hand is separated from the forearm with a visible gap between them most of the way round.
OLIVER TUPTON AFTER THE ANTIQUE; a 20th century bronze copy of 'The Wrestlers' depicting two nude males, stamped to base and on rectangular pink marble pedestal, 26 x 17.5cm. CONDITION REPORT: Height approx 22cm, loose rattling piece inside, general surface wear with casting imperfections, scratches and pitting, base with usual wear and imperfections to marble.
A group of three silver rowing medals 1868-1870, plus three further silver sporting medals, three bronze sporting medallions and Liverpool Shipwreck and Humane Society lifesaving award, also three agricultural certificates. CONDITION REPORT: Two rowing medals named J.W. Leigh, one named J.W. Leigh and others. The Liverpool medal named Irene Fegan.
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