Items Similar to Roman driver on his chariot
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 16
Emmanuel FremietRoman driver on his chariotcirca 1880
circa 1880
About the Item
Equestrian sculpture
"Roman driver on his chariot" by Emmanuel Fremiet (1824-1910)
Bronze with its original nuanced dark brown patina
cast by MORE
France
circa 1880
height 41,5 cm
length 35 cm
Biography :
Emmanuel Fremiet (1824-1910) was the nephew and pupil of sculptor François Rude. Alongside his monumental works commissioned by the state, he was recognized as an excellent realistic animal sculptor. Emmanuel Fremiet devoted mainly to equestrian statues. He started as a scientific lithographer (osteology) and worked in the studio of painters from the morgue. In 1843 he sent to the Salon a "Gazelle" study preluding a prolific output. His "wounded Bear" and "injured Dog" acquired by the State for the Musée du Luxembourg in Paris in 1850. During the 1850s, Fremiet produced works on the theme of Napoleon III. He exposed bronzes representing bassets of Napoleon III, "Ravageot and Ravagode" at the Salon of 1853. From 1855 to 1859, he performed a series of military subject statuettes for the emperor. He realized the Napoleon Monument in 1868 and the one of Louis of Orleans in 1869 (Château de Pierrefonds). In 1874, Emmanuel Fremiet designed the first equestrian monument of Joan of Arc, erected on the Pyramids square in Paris, replaced with another version in 1900. During this period, he also performed "Pan and cubs" (Paris, Musée d'Orsay).
At the end of the nineteenth century, Fremiet was inspired by a new theme : the confrontation between man and beast. The news reported by the newspaper The Times that in 1880, in a Gabonese village, a bewildered and angry gorilla allegedly abducted and molested a woman, after having destroyed shacks. Moreover, the stories of explorers like Alfred Russel Wallace made articles and engravings for the newspapers, illustrating the attack of a Malaysian tracker by an orangutan. This theme inspired Fremiet several major works. "The Gorilla kidnapping a black woman" was initially refused by the jury of the Salon of 1859 and then presented behind a curtain. Another version received a medal of honor at the Salon of the Society of French Artists in 1887. This work, famous in his time, however rose a scandal because of it subject : it represented a gorilla kidnapping a naked woman, allegedly with a intent to rape her, what excited public curiosity. In the same vein, and even more remarkable was the "Orangutan strangling a wild Borneo" (1895), commissioned by the National Museum of Natural History in Paris, inspired by the stories of Wallace reported with many exaggerations by The Times. This time the animal is a male, and throttling the "wild man", he performs an act as impossible, physically and ethologically that the rape of a woman by a gorilla. But art works, and generations of visitors of the Museum where it was exposed, were horrified by the force emanating from the work.
In 1893, the Fremiet made the Velázquez Monument for the garden of the Colonnade of the Louvre Palace in Paris, and then in 1897, the statue of St. Michael slaying the dragon for the abbey of Mont Saint-Michel. Fremiet was elected member of the Academy of Fine Arts in 1892 and succeeded Antoine-Louis Barye as a teacher for Animal Drawing at the National Museum of Natural History in Paris. He was a member of the French Artists Society until 1908.
- Creator:Emmanuel Fremiet (1824-1910, French)
- Creation Year:circa 1880
- Dimensions:Height: 16.34 in (41.5 cm)Width: 13.78 in (35 cm)
- Medium:
- Movement & Style:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Gallery Location:PARIS, FR
- Reference Number:
Emmanuel Fremiet
Emmanuel Frémiet was born in Paris, France in 1824 and was brought into an upper middle-class family that had very close ties to the world of art. His family was filled with great artists and this included his Cousin Sophie who married a famous sculptor called Francois Rude. Emmanuel’s mother was also an accomplished artist who constantly encouraged him and brought him up into the world of art. At the age of five, he was already was receiving formal training in art in a private school. The start at a young age meant he was able to be accepted at the spectacular Ecole des Arts Decoratifs School at the age of sixteen. Throughout this period he learned everything he needed to then become employed by Werner as his head lithographer within a year, whose duties were to prepare drawings of both animals and men. After a long period of convincing by Sophie and Emmanuel, Francois Rude took Emmanuel as a pupil in his studio to further his learning in modeling and sculpture work. Throughout his young life, he spent a lot of time in zoological gardens and participated in dissections of any animals which had passed away during this time. By the age of seven, he had been exposed to a wide range of different wild animals. To further Emmanuel’s path in art, he was appointed the successor of Antoine Louis Barye as Professor of Drawing after Antoine’s death in 1875. With this new position and like many other great sculptors, he spent a lot of time studying and drawing at the morgue and even went to various embalmers across Paris. This was all of his training to give him the exact measurements and to be able to reproduce the muscle and bone structure of the many men and animals that he witnessed. His first sculpture was exhibited in the Paris Salon in 1843 when he was nineteen and he continued to exhibit his magnificent sculptures for the rest of his life at the Salon. He was even awarded various medals and awards from many of his pieces. As he began with the bronze sculptures, he made many small animal bronzes with very fine detail which are nowadays highly sought after by collectors and museums alike. There were many sculptors during this time that crafted pieces in which showed a cruel nature, but Emmanuel was known for the soft and gentle pieces of work which often were amusing. At the age of twenty-five, he was to receive more commissions than any other sculptor before or during his time. It became near impossible to be able to walk the streets without seeing one of Emmanuel’s many smaller bronze sculptures. This amazing sculptor continued crafting works, but also proceeded to train new sculptors, taking on near twenty pupils each time. Unfortunately, this great sculptor passed away in 1910.
About the Seller
5.0
Vetted Seller
These experienced sellers undergo a comprehensive evaluation by our team of in-house experts.
Established in 1992
1stDibs seller since 2023
Typical response time: 20 hours
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: PARIS, France
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 3 days of delivery.
More From This SellerView All
- PheasantBy François PomponLocated in PARIS, FRPheasant by François Pompon (1855-1933) Exceptional bronze with old gilded patina Cast by Valsuani Period cast France circa 1930 height 8,2 cm length 14,2 cm width 3,6 cm A simila...Category
1930s French School Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsBronze
- Man's head wearing glassesLocated in PARIS, FRMan's head wearing glasses by Laurent Belloni (né En 1969) Bronze cast with a nuanced black patina Signed "Belloni" on the base Foundry mark "Susse fondeur Paris", and foundry stam...Category
1990s French School Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsBronze
- Lady with casketsLocated in PARIS, FRLady with caskets by Léo LAPORTE-BLAIRSY (1865-1923) Bronze a nuanced brown patina signed on the side of the base "Léo Laporte-Blairsy" old cast Stamped with a number "60765 / 6" F...Category
Early 20th Century French School Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsBronze
- Pair of monkey candelabrasBy Christophe FratinLocated in PARIS, FRPair of monkey candelabras by Christophe FRATIN (1801-1864) Bronze with nuanced dark brown patina signed "Fratin" on the foot old period cas...Category
Mid-19th Century French School Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsBronze
- Portrait of Albert DubarryLocated in PARIS, FRPortrait of Albert Dubarry by Léon-Ernest DRIVIER (1878-1951) Bronze with a nuanced greenish dark brown patina signed "Drivier" cast by "Montagutelli, Paris, cire perdue" (with the ...Category
1930s French School Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsBronze
- Horse training with its stable ladLocated in PARIS, FRHorse training with its stable lad by Arthur Marie Gabriel comte du Passage (1838-1909) A bronze group with nuanced dark brown patina Signed on the base " Cte du Passage " Period ca...Category
Late 19th Century French School Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsBronze
You May Also Like
- Antique French Grand Tour Gilt Bronze Statue on Column Diana the Huntress 1838By Ferdinand BarbedienneLocated in Portland, ORA fine & large (34" tall) antique French gilt-bronze on marble column of Diana, cast by Ferdinand Barbedienne (1810-1892) after a statue by Jean Antoine Houdon (1741-1828), the bronz...Category
1830s French School Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsMarble, Bronze
- Antique Silvered Bronze Rooster, France circa 19th CenturyLocated in SANTA FE, NMAntique Silvered Bronze Rooster France, circa 1900 10 1/4 x 9 1/2 (H x D) inches A very fine and lively bronze statuette of a preening Rooster. Nicely cast and well-carved and in ex...Category
19th Century French School Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsSilver, Bronze
- Antique Bronze Dog Portrait of a Cavalier King Charles "Thigley" circa 1905Located in SANTA FE, NMAntique Bronze Dog Portrait of a Cavalier King Charles "Thigley" French School (possibly Franck Burty Haviland) Lost wax bronze casting Circa 1910 5 7/8 x 9 x 3 1/4 A sophisticated bronze casting of a Cavalier King Charles spaniel made in lost wax casting (cire perdue) from the beginning of the 20th century by Valsuani Foundry. This an unusual bronze approached in its aesthetic that’s reminiscent of the work of great animal sculptors of the second half of the 19th century except in this presentation which is more avant-garde for the time with a much looser, more impressionistic execution. The patina is a superb bronze color, brown and slightly greenish, going in places towards a more antique green. The attitude of the dog is extremely well and sensitively rendered with the placement of material unlike the renderings of a bronze by Barye...Category
Early 1900s French School Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsBronze
- RhinoBy Roland d'Andlau-HombourgLocated in Greenwich, CTBronze "Rhinoceros' by Roland d' Andlau-Hombourg (1927-2009) signed, numbered 1/6 with Godard foundry stamp R. d' Andlau was a gifted 'animalier' sculptor in the grand tradition ...Category
1950s French School Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsBronze
- Bronze Art Déco Représentant Une Oie, Les Ailes DéployéesLocated in ROUEN, FRBronze Art Déco représentant une oie, les ailes déployées. Il est à fine patine brune. Socle en marbre vert. Signé de LUC. H.31 L.21.Category
1920s French School Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsBronze
- Flora et L'amour ou HamadryadeBy Ferdinand BarbedienneLocated in Tallinn, EEFerdinand Barbedienne (1810 - 1892) Antoine Coysevox, after (France, 1640-1720) Flora et L'amour ou Hamadryade Inscribed 'A. COYSEVOX. F. 1710'. With foundry mark 'F. BARBEDIENNE...Category
Late 19th Century French School Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsBronze