M.S. Rau Sculptures

Antoine-Louis Barye 1795-1875 French Tigre saissant un paon (Tiger seizing a peacock) Bronze Signed “BARYE” Modeled by famed French Romantic sculptor Antoine-Louis Barye, this r...

Pair of Bronze Busts of Queen Mary when Duchess of York William Henry Tyler Dated 1893 These rare and highly important bronze busts of the future Queen Mary, created in 1893 by the ...

This 17th-century bronze sculpture, likely hailing from southern Germany, depicts a scene of life-and-death struggle in nature — a hapless hare caught in the claws of a mighty panthe...

Vivien Mallock b.1945 British Sir Winston Churchill Signed “VM” and numbered "9/12" Bronze with a brown patina Winston Churchill stands as one of th...

Oscar Nemon 1906 - 1985 Croatian Sigmund Freud Signed “Nemon” Bronze resin This original bronze Sigmund Freud, the father of psychoanalysis, was crafted by renowned Croatian scul...

After Michel Anguier French 1612-1686 Amphitrite Bronze This remarkable bronze masterpiece was cast after a High Baroque masterwork by French sculptor Michel Anguier. After traini...

Augustus Saint-Gaudens 1848-1907 American Young Emperor Augustus Marble This extraordinary marble bust by revered American sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens is crafted in the class...

Émile Louis Bracquemond 1889-1970 French Panther Bronze This exquisite bronze sculpture of a panther was created by French sculptor Émile Louis Bracquemond. The artist was clearl...

A technical and creative masterpiece of the late Renaissance era, this extraordinary bronze figure depicts the famed Greek legend of The Abduction of Deianira. Bringing together the ...

A rare example of late Renaissance sculpture, this impressive Italian bronze captures one of the greatest divine heroes of myth and legend: Hercules. The figure is rendered with stun...

Gravity Andreas von Zadora-Gerlof Created 2014-15 This monumental, mind-boggling work of stainless steel was crafted by the famed jeweler and sculp...

Frederick William MacMonnies 1863–1937 American William Shakespeare Signed "F. MacMonnies" and foundry-marked "E. Gruet Jeune, Fondeur, Paris" Bronze Frederick William MacMonnies...

This extraordinary Italian bronze embodies all of the hallmarks of the very best Florentine sculptures of the 17th century. The work is crafted in the Mannerist style of the late Ren...

Terracotta Statue of Emperor Napoleon at St. Helena Circa 1825-1840 This exceptional terracotta statue of Napoleon Bonaparte on St. Helena stands as one of the earliest known depict...

Masterfully carved with remarkable detail, a youthful Saint John the Baptist folds his hands in prayer in this stunning marble by the important Italian sculptor Domenico Menconi. The...

This remarkable early 17th-century Flemish bronze of Hercules and the Lernaean Hydra exudes classic Baroque grandeur and beauty. Flanders was one of the richest artistic and cultural...

"I am a true Roman Emperor; I am of the best race of the Caesars—those who are founders." –Napoleon Bonaparte, 1812 Among the most iconic and celebrated figures in history, Napoleon...

Ivor Roberts-Jones 1916-1996 British Sir Winston Churchill Numbered “132” (on base) Bronze with a brown patina on a stone base “My dear friends, this is your hour.” These were Wi...

Urbano Lucchesi 1844 - 1906 Italian La Casta Susanna (The Chaste Susanna) Marble This elegant statue entitled La Casta Susanna depicts the virtuous biblical figure Susanna, exper...

Beautifully detailed and lifelike, Venus and Cupid share a soft embrace in this remarkable Italian white marble sculpture. The feminine beauty gracefully leans against roughened rock...

Ivor Roberts-Jones 1916-1996 British Sir Winston Churchill Memorial Bronze This exceptional and iconic sculpture of Sir Winston Churchill is the original maquette for the renowne...

This limestone bust of the Buddha presents a picture of serenity and grace. A rare and striking image, it was sculpted in 6th-century Northern China during the Qi dynasty...

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

Studio of Raffaello Romanelli Early 20th Century Italian Clio Inscribed "Executé sous la Direction du Prof. Romanelli" (on base) Marble Clio, the muse of history from Greek mytho...

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...

Crafted by the famed jeweler and sculptor Andreas von Zadora-Gerlof, this compelling stainless steel and polymer sculpture brings to life the work of the gr...

Masquerade, a traditional yet playful composition by Fortunato Galli, reflects the realism and intricacy that defined Italian sculpture at the end of the 19th century. Magnificently ...

Crafted by the famed sculptor Andreas von Zadora-Gerlof, this compelling kinetic aluminum sculpture entitled Concentric Rinds brings to life the work of the...

The legendary Greek god Perseus is the subject of this elegant half-bust by Ubaldo Gandolfi, a major painter and sculptor from Bologna. The son of Zeus and Danaë, Perseus was the le...

This monumental bust is a museum-quality example of Roman Baroque sculpture. Crafted by the legendary Domenico Guidi and carved from Carrara marble, the impressive portrait captures the visage of Pope Innocent XI, Benedetto Odescalchi (1611-1689). It presents a larger-than-life example of Guidi’s remarkable skill as a sculptor, which ultimately made his workshop one of the most important in Rome during his age. Today, his works are rarely found on the market, particularly his extraordinary works in marble. Pope Innocent XI was born Benedetto Odescalchi into an Italian noble family of prominent bankers. Spending his early years in banking, he eventually turned to the law, earning his doctorate in 1639. His background would serve him well in his service to the papacy, and he became known as a frugal and devout member of the Church. In 1676, he was unanimously elected Pop after the death of Clement X. During his nearly 13-year reign, he instilled his own personal ideals of austerity and frugality onto the Church, with a deep commitment to reform and piety. He is captured here by Guidi in his traditional Pope’s mozzetta and camauro cap. A wide stole is draped over his shoulders, ornamented by acanthus leaves and the coat of arms of the Odescalchi family. It displays Guidi’s mastery over the chiaroscuro effect, particularly in the high level of contrast in his cheeks and his eyes, which Guidi achieved through various methods of high polish. A very similar portrait sculpture of Pope Innocent XI by Guidi can be found in the collection of the Royal Castle in Warsaw. The Warsaw bust belongs to a series of portraits of popes which the Odescalchi family commissioned from Domenico Guidi in the 1690s. Compared to that example, the present bust is far more dramatic, with deeper cut lines and a more precise expression. It is likely that the present piece was seen by the Odescalchi family, who ordered a similar one to be made. The piece was almost certainly intended to be displayed in a niche, given its dramatic cutting and its roughly carved back. Others of Guidi’s busts can be found in important collections throughout Italy, England and the United States, though many of these are lesser bronze repetitions. A bronze bust of the Pope Alexander VIII by Guidi is currently in the collection of the Victoria & Albert Museum (London), while a terracotta version of the same is in the Los Angeles County Museum. A bronze of Pope Alexander VIII can be found in the Princely Collection of Lichtenstein, and his impressive marble papal bust of Clement IX graces the pope’s tomb in Santa Maria Maggiore. The present bust of Pope...

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...

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...