August Rubin Decorative Objects

SALE ONE WEEK ONLY “Leda and the Swan” is by Reuben Nakian (1897 - 1986). He was an American sculptor and teacher of Armenian extraction. His works’ recurring themes are from Greek and Roman mythology. Nakian’s small bronzes achieve majesty and power which are not dependent on size and amplitude. With characteristic freshness, he has reinterpreted the classical subject of Leda and the Swan refining it in the Classical-Renaissance-Baroque tradition in a contemporary way. Dr. Robert P. Metzger gives us his aesthetic interpretation of this work which retells the myth in classical hedonism and freedom of expression showing Leda and the Swann prior to her being ravaged and during their first meeting. “The young virgin is fascinated with her new found friend and accepts him in a spirit of playfulness, contentment and wonder. She is dreamily available and shyly seductive as the deceptively tame swan snuggles up to her with its phallic-like neck.” Leda appears composed, placid yet open and available as compared to her more intense and passionate states in other of Nakian’s depictions on the same theme. This was cast at the "Renaissance Art Foundry" in 1978 and is so marked on the base being #5 of 7. It is believed that “no other sculptor of the twentieth century matched Rueben’s heroic renditions with the grand themes of Western Art. His erotic mythological figures exude a joyous energy of gesture and movement which place them among seminal sculptural achievements of the past one hundred years.” Nakian studied at the Independent School of Art in New York City previously known as the Robert Henri School … with Homer Boss...

One of a two of Brutalist abstract sculptures by Dutch artist Rien Goené (1929-2013) circa 1980, signed. The asymmetrical concertina shaped bronze sculpture...

Art Deco bronze silver plated and black patinated sculpture "Leda and the Swan" created in 1925 by the celebrated French painter and sculptor Marcel A. Bouraine. This piece was showe...

French Art Deco Leda & the Swan ceramic sculpture by Charles LEMANCEAU at Sainte-Radegonde, France, 1920s. Leda & the swan. Illustrated in the Sainte-Radegonde catalogue, page #2 (se...

An exception French Art Deco Bronze Statue of Pheasant on Marble Base, circa 1920s. Features the flamboyant bird in a more relaxed mood, ...

SILVERED BRONZE From our Sculpture collection, we are pleased to offer this rare example Art Deco Bronze Figure by Paul Philippe. The figure beautifully raised upon a geometric bla...

A mid-late 19th century antique Italian alabaster sculpture depicting Leda and the Swan mounted on a green marble base. This figure of neoclassical interest is brilliantly detailed, ...

Leda and the Swan Sculpture by Gabriel Beauvais, France, 1920s. This striking and rare sculpture, titled Leda and the Swan, was created by the French artist Gabriel Beauvais in the 1...

A fine antique Egyptian Revival bronze sculpture. In the form of a male lion. Mounted atop a mottled rouge marble plinth. Simply a lovely Egyptian Revival bronze! Date: ...

One of a two of abstract sculptures by Dutch artist Rien Goené (1929-2013) circa 1980, signed. The asymmetrical concertina shaped bronze sculpture is colore...

This strikingly naturalistic bronze sculpture was created in Florence in 1895. The bust depicts an elderly man, most likely a farm worker, carrying a heavy sack of grain over his shoulder. He wears an old slightly ragged shirt which is open at his chest, revealing his thin body underneath. The man looks out into the distance on the left, his eyebrows slightly furrowed. His mouth is open as though he is breathing heavily with the strain of the work or calling out to someone unknown to the viewer. The sculptor has accurately rendered every detail, with great truth to reality. The faint stubble on the man's chin and the wrinkles on his face and hands are faithfully portrayed. In its naturalistic style and its everyday, unidealised subject-matter, this bronze may be described as a work of Realism. The Realist movement flourished in the arts in Europe in this period, the 19th Century. The bust is signed ‘G Rossi...

Leda and the swan carved in white marble, Italian, Risorgimento, late 19th century. Stock Number: 33150 Leda and the Swan: A Mythological Tale Immortalised in Marble The mythology ...