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Henri Honoré PléThe Victorious David / - The melancholy of the radiant hero -c. 1890
c. 1890
$1,802.17
$2,252.7120% Off
£1,341.95
£1,677.4420% Off
€1,520
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CA$2,476.28
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About the Item
Henri Honoré Plé (1853 Paris - 1922 Paris), The Victorious David, around1890. Red-brown and brown patinated bronze with terrain plinth mounted on a round base. 42 cm (total height) x 16 cm (length) x 16 cm (depth), weight 5.3 kg. Signed “Henri Plé” on the plinth, inscribed “DAVID VAINQEUR SALON DES BEAUX-ARTS” on the title label and with the foundry mark of the “Société des Bronzes de Paris” and the abbreviation “J.B.” on the reverse.
- Patina occasionally rubbed, with scattered scratches and rubbed in places on the neck, otherwise in very good condition for its age
- The melancholy of the radiant hero -
David leans on the huge sword he used to slay the giant Goliath after smiting him with a slingshot. The sword rests on his immense head, which, with its long mane and beard, radiates tremendous strength even in death. But David also looks very athletic. The slight twist of his torso shows his well-proportioned body from different angles. He has a straightforward, ideal beauty, with which Plé refers to Donatello's David. Like Michelangelo's David (1504), his bronze sculpture, created around 1445, aims to illustrate an ideal physicality. Donatello's David, however, appears more youthful and displays a certain lasciviousness that is absent from Plé's work. The French artist emphasizes the elegance of the body with the elongated sword. Resting on Goliath's head, it measures David's figure almost to his shoulders and thus becomes a filigree, elegant analogy of David's body. At the same time, the overlong sword, which is difficult to wield, expresses David's determination to defeat Goliath. This will can still be seen in his slightly furrowed eyebrows.
Although David stands triumphant with his head held high in a seemingly relaxed posture, there is an inner tension that Donatello's David lacks. Rather than supporting his head with his hand in a relaxed manner after his heroic deed, he touches it with only one finger, while his concentrated inward gaze reflects on what has happened.
About the artist
Henri Honoré Plé was the son of a porcelain painter. Inclined to sculpture, he became a student of Mathurin Moreau and exhibited as an independent artist at the Paris Salon from 1877. He received an honorable mention in 1879 and was awarded a bronze medal at the Paris World's Fair in 1900. His larger-than-life work "The First Step" is in the Musée d'Art de Lille. Plé was a member of the Société des artistes français.
GERMAN VERSION
Henri Honoré Plé (1853 Paris - 1922 Paris), Der siegreiche David, um 1890. Rotbraun und braun patinierte Bronze mit Terrainplinthe auf rundem Sockel montiert. 42 cm (Gesamthöhe) x 16 cm (Länge) x 16 cm (Tiefe), Gewicht 5,3 kg. Auf der Plinthe mit „Henri Plé“ signiert, auf dem Titelschildchen mit „DAVID VAINQEUR SALON DES BEAUX-ARTS“ bezeichnet und rückseitig mit der Gießereimarke der „Société des Bronzes de Paris“ und dem Kürzel „J.B.“ versehen.
- Patina mitunter berieben, mit vereinzelten Kratzspuren und am Halsbereich stellenweise abgerieben, ansonsten in einem altersgemäß sehr guten Zustand
- Die Melancholie des strahlenden Helden -
In elegant gelassener Haltung stützt sich David auf das immense Schwert, mit dem er den Riesen Goliath getötet hat, nachdem er ihn mit der Steinschleuder zu Fall gebracht hatte. Das Schwert ruht auf dem immensen Kopf, der mit seiner langen Mähne und dem Bart noch im Tod gewaltige Kräfte ausstrahlt. Aber auch David wirkt überaus athletisch. Die leichte Drehung des Oberkörpers bringt seinen wohlproportionierten Körper aus mehreren Ansichten zur Geltung. Er weist eine geradewegs ideale Schönheit auf, womit sich Plé auf den David Donatellos bezieht. Seine gegen 1445 geschaffene Bronzeplastik zielt, ebenso wie Michelangelos David (1504), auf die Veranschaulichung einer idealen Körperlichkeit. Donatellos David wirkt allerdings jugendlicher und weist eine gewisse Laszivität auf, die bei Plé fehlt. Der französische Künstler unterstreicht die Eleganz des Körpers durch das überlang wirkende Schwert. Auf dem Kopf Goliaths ruhend durchmisst es Davids Gestalt beinahe bis zu den Schultern und wird auf diese Weise zur filigran-eleganten Analogie von Davids Körper. Zugleich bringt das überlange und daher nur schwer zu führende Schwert Davids Willenskraft zum Ausdruck, die ihn Goliaths hat bezwingen lassen. Diese Entschlossenheit ist seinen leicht zusammengezogenen Augenbraunen noch abzulesen.
Obwohl David erhobenen Hauptes als Sieger in einer scheinbar gelassenen Haltung dasteht, ist ihm doch eine innere Anspannung abzulesen, die Donatellos David fehlt. Er stützte seinen Kopf nach der vollbrachten Heldentat nicht auf entspannte Weise mit der Hand ab, sondern berührt ihn mit nur einem Finger, während der konzentrierte nach innen gerichtete Blick das Geschehene reflektiert.
zum Künstler
Henri Honoré Plé war der Sohn eines Porzellannmalers. Der Bildhauerei zugeneigt wurde er Schüler Mathurin Moreaus und stellte als selbstständiger Künstler ab 1877 im Pariser Salon aus. 1879 wurde ihm eine ehrenvolle Erwähnung zuteil. Auf der Pariser Weltausstellung des Jahres 1900 erhielt er eine Bronzemedaille. Sein überlebensgroßes Werk, „Der erste Schritt“, befindet sich im Kunstmuseum von Lille. Plé war Mitglied der Société des artistes français.

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