Isidore Jules Bonheur

Jockey Winner

circa 1880

Horse 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...

Elegant standing Jockey by Francesco de Matteis (1852-1917) Bronze with nuanced brown patina Signed on the base " F. de Matteis " Old edition cast Italy circa 1890 height 21 cm w...

Turkish Horse by Antoine-Louis Barye (1796-1875) "Cheval turc, antérieur gauche levé, terrasse carrée" Bronze sculpture with a nuanced dark brown patina Signed " Barye " on the base...

"Turkish Horse" by Antoine-Louis Barye (1796-1875) Bronze with nuanced dark brown patina cast by BARBEDIENNE France circa 1880 height 28 cm length 31,5 cm This is the biggest size...

A self-taught artist, Piere-Jules Mêne (1810-1879) dedicated his entire career to making bronze statues, which were met with great success among both French and international clients...

Hans Guradze (German, 1861-1922) "Jockey On Horseback" Bronze Approx. 19.5 x 17 x 6 inches Signed "H. Guradze Berlin" on Base

Isidore-Jules Bonheur (French, 1827–1901) A Rare Gilt and Patinated Bronze Jockey on A Horse, circa 1875. Introducing a truly exceptional and highly s...

Antique Horse Bronze Portrait of a Trotting Stallion Isidore Jules Bonheur (France, 1827-1901) Cast bronze mounted on a rectangular plinth with dark brown patina, Signed: I. BONHEUR 17 x 11 3/4 A brilliant exploration of a stallion in full trot. The patina is a deep, warm walnut brown with honey-colored tones. Isidore Bonheur was best known and the most distinguished of the 19th century French animalier sculptors. Isidore, the younger brother of Rosa Bonheur and older brother of Auguste, began his studies of painting initially with his father, who was friends with Francisco Goya. By 1848 he debuted at the Paris Salon having discontinued animal and landscape painting to concentrate on creating sculptures and in 1849, Bonheur enrolled at the Ecole des Beaux Arts. He won medals at the Paris Salon in 1859 and did so again in 1865 and in 1869. After entering the Exposition Universelle 1855, he won the Gold Medal in 1889. In the 1870s exhibited in the London at the Royal Academy of Arts where he earned great prestige and won the coveted Medaille d’Or. After winning numerous other medals and prizes, Bonheur was awarded the Legion d' Honneur in 1895 and he was Knighted in Portugal, Spain and France. Bonheur continued exhibiting at the Paris Salon until 1899. Many of his bronzes were fabricated at the foundry owned by Hippolyte Peyrol, Bonheur's brother-in-law by marriage to Isidore’s youngest sister Juliette Bonheur. The Peyrol casts for both Rosa and Isidore are exceptionally well executed which suggests a strong working relationship between the founder and sculptor. There is little doubt that Isidore Bonheur was an acute observer of nature; his animals were not anthropomorphized but modelled to catch movement or posture characteristics of the particular species he was sculpting. He achieved this most successfully with his sculptures of horses which are usually depicted as relaxed rather than spirited. These figures are among his most renowned works and his equestrian models became very popular, particularly among the British aristocracy. An acute observer of nature, his sculptures reflect his commitment to the Realist school - with precise detailing of the movements of animals in their natural habitats. Ultimately, His naturalistic studies of animals are now some of the most highly sought after works by any of the animalier. He was possibly inspired by his many visits to the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show...