Emmanuel Hannaux

Le Poète et la Sirène (The Poet and the Siren)

1816-1918

One of a series of sculpted dancers created by the incomparable Edgar Degas, this exceptional bronze exudes all of the expressivity one expects from this 20th-century great. Degas captures the essence of his model in the graceful work, as she strikes a particularly difficult pose of the arabesque. The dancer's features have been manipulated and simplified, executed in a manner that seems almost as if one of Degas' Impressionist canvases has come to life. Degas was obsessed with capturing the dancer in motion throughout his career. He rendered their grace and movement in oil, pastel, pencil, chalk and wax - in fact, of the seventy-four wax sculptures created by Degas during his lifetime, forty of them depicted dancers. Seven of these belong to his series that capture the various forms of the arabesque, and the present work is included among them. It details one of the most difficult and animated poses of the ballet. Degas’ dancer is precariously posed in a study of balance and motion, one leg gracefully thrust into the air as she tilts her body down towards the earth and extends her arm forward. The sense of her movement is perfectly captured in the extraordinary work, as well as the fluid lines of her body. The bronze is a sought-after rarity in terms of Degas’ sculptures. Not only are his dancers the most desirable of his work, but this bronze is also distinguished by the fact that it is a Valsuani bronze, meaning it faithfully records Degas’ wax version’s pose as it appeared at the time of its creation. Most Degas' bronzes that are found on the market were cast by Hébrard – these serialized bronzes are surmoulages, or “aftercasts,” that were cast from the modèle bronzes currently in the Norton Simon Museum (Pasadena). Because these bronzes are second generation, they are smaller and far less detailed that the current bronze. This example, however, was cast by Valsuani from a plaster that was taken directly from Degas’ waxes, according to scholarship by the art historian Dr. Gregory Hedberg. These plasters were created by Degas’ sculptor friend Albert Bartholomé shortly after Degas completed his wax figurines. Thus, they record the earliest versions of Degas’ wax sculptures, before they were damaged by time or handling, and before Degas himself altered the works. The Hébrard bronzes...

This highly evocative bronze by Vincenzo Vela captures the deposed Emperor Napoléon on his deathbed, holding a map of Europe and lost in thought about what might have been. Remarkable among most portrayals of the exiled leader, this highly detailed sculpture depicts Napoléon at his most vulnerable. Nonetheless, Vela perfectly captures his still-heroic bearing, which imparts to this work a monumental quality and quiet dignity. The mate to this figure is the colossal marble at the Musée du Château de Malmaison, which was shown at the Paris Salon of 1867. The founder of the verismo movement in Italy, Vela was one of the great exponents of realism in sculpture. Born in Ligornetto, Switzerland in 1820, he studied under celebrated sculptor, Benedetto Cacciatori. He was also influenced both by the work of Tuscan sculptor Lorenzo Bartolini, who seamlessly combined neoclassicism with naturalism and the romantic painting of Francesco Hayez...

King Louis XIV, one of France's greatest monarchs, sits confidently astride a prancing steed in this bronze equestrian statue. The extraordinary work is a reduction of the portrait of the Sun King by François Girardon, one of the most noted and influential sculptors of the period. Looking back to the great masterpieces of antiquity, Girardon took his inspiration from the seminal ancient Roman marble of Marcus Aurelius, now in the Musei Capitoline (Rome). Louis XIV is thus portrayed here as a conquering Roman hero, his costume adorned with many neoclassical motifs, hand outstretched in a gesture of command. The result is an imposing royal portrait of power and absolute authority that pays homage to one of the most important sovereigns in French history. It was in 1685, at the very height of his rule, when Louis XIV commissioned the monumental bronze of himself from the great Girardon. As sculptor to the king, Girardon was a key figure in the decoration of the gardens at the Château de Versailles, and he was later commissioned to complete several important royal...

John Singer Sargent 1856-1925 American How They Met Themselves Bronze John Singer Sargent was among the most successful artists of his era. By the late 19th century, he was the m...

Oscar Nemon 1906 - 1985 Croatian Married Love Signed “Nemon” (on reverse) Bronze resin with green patina This rousing and sentimental sculpture, commis...

After François Girardon 1628-1715 French Pluto Abducting Proserpine Bronze This High Baroque period composition captures the famed narrative of Pluto and Proserpine from Roman mythology. The late 17th-century patinated bronze, created after François Girardon's marble composition, captures the very moment that Pluto seizes Proserpine. The anguished goddess reaches skyward, attempting to escape the god’s grasp while Pluto’s stoic face betrays his knowledge that his ploy will succeed. This pivotal moment in the mythological tale has captured the imagination of many art historical greats, from Bernini to Rubens. François Girardon’s version of the climax demonstrates incredible finesse and artistry, modeled expertly in bronze in the present work by a later sculptor. The statue brings a twist of intertwined bodies into a dynamic frenzy, paralleling the tension of the legendary story. In ancient Roman mythology, Proserpine, the beautiful daughter of Ceres — known as Persephone in Greek mythology — was picking flowers in the fields when she was suddenly abducted by Pluto, the god of the underworld, and taken to his kingdom. Consumed with grief, her mother Ceres, the goddess of agriculture, scorches the earth, stopping the growth of grain and fruit. Jupiter attempts to intervene and secure Proserpine’s return to earth, negotiating a compromise with Pluto and the Fates that allows Proserpine to be released for part of the year before returning to Pluto’s underworld. Proserpine’s journey back and forth is an allegory for the changing seasons; when Prosperine is with her mother, the earth warms and provides bountiful harvests. Upon her annual return to the underworld, however, the earth once again becomes cold and barren. After returning to France after years of training in Rome, François Girardon quickly rose to become one of the greatest artists in France. He was elected a member of the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture in 1657 and would become Chancellor of the Royal Academy in 1695. The artist was approached frequently for royal commissions and Girardon’s Pluto was originally commissioned by Louis XIV for the gardens at his Palace of Versailles. It was one of four monumental marble groups intended to decorate the corners of Charles Le Brun’s never completed garden at the chateau, the Parterre d’Eau. Each group of three figures symbolized one of the four elements: earth, air, fire and water. Pluto’s association with hell made him the apt...

"The Song" by Félix Charpentier (1858-1924) A very fine bronze sculpture with nuanced dark brown patina Signed "Fx. Charpentier" Cast by "E. Colin & Cie Paris" France around 1900 he...

Nature unveiling in front of Science by Louis-Ernest Barrias (1841-1905) Bronze sculpture with multiple patina. Signed "E. Barrias" on the side of the base cast by "Susse Frères" (foundry mark and stamp) The model of this statue was commissioned in 1889 to decorate the new medical school in Bordeaux. When he had finished the first version in white marble for the school, Barrias designed a second marble and onyx statue in 1899 for the ceremonial staircase of the Conservatoire des Arts et Métiers in Paris. France circa 1900 height 58 cm Biography : Louis-Ernest Barrias (1841-1905) was a French sculptor . He came from a family of artists. His father was a porcelain painter and his older brother, Felix-Joseph Barrias, a recognized painter. Louis-Ernest Barrias entered the School of Fine Arts in Paris in 1858, he abandoned painting to move towards sculpture under the direction of François Jouffroy. In 1864, he won the Prix de Rome, on the theme of "The Foundation of Marseille", and was engaged on the site of the Paris Opera house. He later produced many sculpted works, most of them in marble. In 1881, Louis-Ernest Barrias was awarded a medal of honor of the fine arts and named knight of the Legion of Honor in 1878, then promoted officer in 1881 and commander in 1900. The artist replaced Auguste Dumont at the Institute in 1884, then succeeded Jules Cavelier as a professor at the School of Fine Arts, where, among his most notable students, there were Victor Ségoffin, Charles Despiau and Paul Landowski.

Jean Garnier (1853-1910) Art Nouveau Bronze Sculpture circa 1890s A Fine bronze sculpture by listed French artist Jean Garnier. A young nude woman with long flowing hair and a tamb...

Presenting a magnificent early Art Nouveau bronze by Belgian artist Jef Lambeaux(1852-1908.) “Leda and the Swan”, is an original Art Nouveau Bronze,...

This stylized figural study captures a young girl restraining a struggling swan trying to take flight purportedly by Marius Jean Antonin Mercié, bearing the incised signature “Mercié” on the base.. The work is quite heavy weighing in about 65 lbs and boasts an opulent dark patina. Unlike his signature work Gloria Victis, that has numerous versions, reproductions and casts, Girl and Swan may be of just a few casts or may be unique. With Barbedienne foundry mark on the tree stump behind the left foot. Mercie used Barbedienne for many of his works. Purchased from Toulouse Antiques...

Abstracted sculpture of a nude woman by Francis Xavier "Frank" Bracken (American, 20th Century). Signed, dated and numbered "Francis X. Bracken 1981 2/7...