Skip to main content
Video Loading
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 22

Rare 26” Georges Gardet “Desert Drama” Antique French Bronze Sculpture

$10,000
£7,634.96
€8,822.12
CA$14,038.11
A$15,646.93
CHF 8,209.41
MX$191,074.56
NOK 103,948.97
SEK 98,247.58
DKK 65,843.35

About the Item

GEORGES GARDET French, 1863-1939 "Le Drame au Désert" Patinated bronze Signed in cast "Georges Gardet" cold-stamped 3105 conceived 1887, cast circa 1910 Item # 411RAL12A A very compelling lifetime cast of Georges Gardet's "Desert Drama", it was conceived by Gardet in 1887 as a young artist just 24 years old. He presented the model in plaster at the Paris Salon of the same year and it was a major success for him. A monumental example in bronze was commissioned from him in 1888 and remains where it was originally placed in the Parc Montsouris in Paris in 1891. In 1891 he won first prize for the group when exhibiting it again at Salon. This intense scene depicts a lioness returning to her den only moments after a python has killed both of her young cubs. The serpent's body entwines her lifeless helpless children as it tenses its coiled body and readies for a certain battle. Reductions of this model were cast by Siot-Decauville in several reductions. The present example retains a delightful nuanced patina with autumnal undertones coming through the overall medium-brown translucent patina - it is silky and positively gorgeous. The crisp chiseling and finishing work is notable. The cast is not marked by the foundry, but is almost certainly cast by Siot-Decauville (particularly in light of the four digit serial number, typical of their production). The scale and overall presence of the model is notable with a total width of nearly 27 inches. Our gallery has handled the smaller reduction (total width of ~ 12"), but this large and imposing dimension is exceedingly rare. Raw, emotive and incredibly powerful. Artist Listings & Bibliography: "Les bronzes du XIXe siècle, dictionnaire des sculptures", Pierre Kjellberg, 1987, p. 342 Measurements: 26 1/2" W x 11 1/2" D x 12" H Condition Report: Very minor patina wear, mostly isolated to the tail and upper portions of the panther's back and a few raised elements; otherwise in nearly perfect original condition, carefully cleaned and polished, a brilliant presentation ready to place. About silla antiques & art Established in 2009, we have available in our 9000 square foot brick-and-mortar gallery an ever-changing selection of carefully curated and catalogued furniture, decorative arts, paintings, sculpture and estate jewelry. Our company has long specialized in sculpture circa 1860 through 1930 and as such the gallery always has a very large collection of exceptional European and American sculpture available on display. The gallery is located at 117 W Burd Street in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania and is open by appointment only. We welcome your visit and would love to meet with you at the shop. For clients located outside of the area, we are always available to discuss items by video conferencing or by phone.
  • Creator:
    Georges Gardet (Sculptor)
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 12 in (30.48 cm)Width: 26.5 in (67.31 cm)Depth: 11.5 in (29.21 cm)
  • Style:
    Romantic (Of the Period)
  • Materials and Techniques:
  • Place of Origin:
  • Period:
  • Date of Manufacture:
    1910
  • Condition:
    Very minor patina wear, mostly isolated to the tail and upper portions of the panther's back and a few raised elements; otherwise in nearly perfect original condition, carefully cleaned and polished, a brilliant presentation ready to place.
  • Seller Location:
    Shippensburg, PA
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: 411RAL12A1stDibs: LU1059042779292

More From This Seller

View All
French Antique Bronze Sculpture of “Tiger and Tortoise” after Georges Gardet
By Georges Gardet
Located in Shippensburg, PA
GEORGES GARDET French, 1863-1939 "La Tigre et la Tortu" [The Tiger and the Tortoise] (1886) Sand-cast bronze with verde, red, brown and black patination signed to the base "GEORGE...
Category

Early 20th Century French Romantic Animal Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

French 19th Century Bronze Sculpture “Gardant du Gibier” by Pierre-Jules Mêne
By Pierre Jules Mêne
Located in Shippensburg, PA
PIERRE-JULES MÊNE France, 1810-1879 "Chien Gardant du Gibier" (1850) Sand-cast patinated bronze signed in cast "P.I. MÊNE 1850" cast circa 1870-1880 Item # 405ZIM29Q One of Mên...
Category

Antique 19th Century French Animal Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

French Antique Bronze Sculpture “Panther of Tunisia” by Antoine-Louis Barye
By Antoine-Louis Barye
Located in Shippensburg, PA
ANTOINE-LOUIS BARYE French, 1796-1875 Panther of Tunisia [smaller version] Sand-cast patinated bronze Signed in cast BARYE Cast executed last quarter of the 19th century 3 1/2" H ...
Category

Antique 19th Century French Romantic Animal Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

“Lutte pour la vie” Scarce French Bronze Sculpture by Edouard Drouot
Located in Shippensburg, PA
EDOUARD DROUOT French, 1859-1945 "Lutte pour la vie" [A fight to survive] Patinated and polychromed bronze on verde marble signed "E. Drouot” cast circa 1920 Item # 311GTN28A A ve...
Category

20th Century French Romantic Animal Sculptures

Materials

Marble, Bronze

Bronze Sculpture "Panther of Tunisia" After Antoine-Louis Barye, Barbedienne
By Antoine-Louis Barye, F. Barbedienne Foundry
Located in Shippensburg, PA
An exceedingly fine posthumous cast of Barye's Panther of Tunisia no. 2 executed by the foundry of Ferdinand Barbedienne, this piece retains it's silky original overall nearly transl...
Category

Antique 19th Century French Romantic Animal Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

French Antique Bronze Sculpture “Dogs Chasing Rabbit” by Pierre Jules Mene
By Pierre Jules Mêne
Located in Shippensburg, PA
PIERRE-JULES MENE French, 1810-1879 "Chasse au Lapin" (Dogs Hunting a Rabit) Sand-cast and patinated bronze Naturalistic base with cast signature "P.J. MÊNE" Cast circa 1870 (Mêne-...
Category

Antique 19th Century French Romantic Animal Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

You May Also Like

19th Century Animalier Bronze Sculpture entitled "Medor" by Pierre Jules Mene
By Pierre Jules Mêne
Located in London, GB
An excellent mid 19th Century Animalier bronze study of a setter in an alert turning pose with very fine rich brown patina and intricate hand chased surface detail, raised on natural...
Category

Antique Late 19th Century French Art Nouveau Animal Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

"Tuant un Sanglier" After Alfred Barye (French, 1839–1882) Bronze, c. 1900
By Alfred Barye
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
After Alfred Barye (FRENCH, 1839–1882) bronze lion sculpture, "Lion - Tuant un Sanglier," a male lion standing over his prey, a wild boar; signed on base on right side, raised on a c...
Category

Early 20th Century French Neoclassical Animal Sculptures

Materials

Marble, Bronze

French Bronze Sculpture of Two Fighting Panthers Signed G. Gardet
By George Gardet
Located in Miami, US
French Bronze Sculpture of Two Fighting Panthers on Marble Base, Signed G. Gardet A captivating French bronze sculpture depicting two panthers locked in an intense struggle, signed ...
Category

Early 20th Century French Animal Sculptures

Materials

Marble, Bronze

Sculpture in bronze, signed Mazzei, art deco
Located in Nice, FR
Corrado Alberto MAZZEI (1885 -?). The Prelude. Bronze sculpture with a gilded patina representing a lion and a lioness resting on a colored wooden base. Antique lost wax mold. Signed...
Category

Vintage 1930s Italian Art Deco Animal Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Rembrandt Bugatti "Panthère au repos" Bronze Sculpture
Located in New York, NY
In the "Panthère au repos" also known as "Panther in Repose", Bugatti seems to have been concerned primarily with musculature. The uneven surface exaggerates the contours of muscles which in turn causes a curious effect: weightiness from the amplified muscles and lightness created by the myriad reflecting planes. And while this cat is sculpted in movement, it has a posed appearance. Product Details: Item #: YB-21615 Artist: Rembrandt Bugatti Country: France Circa: 1904 Dimensions: 7" height, 14.75" width, 5" depth. Materials: Patinated Bronze Signed: R. Bugatti and incised 10 with foundry mark Cire Perdue AA Hébrard Literature: V. Fromanger, "Rembrandt Bugatti, sculpteur, une trajectoire foudroyante, répertoire monographique, les éditions de l'amateur", Paris, 2016, p. 179 pour le plâtre, p. 356, no. 214. Macklowe Gallery Curator's Notes: Bugatti’s panther...
Category

Early 20th Century Animal Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Spectacular Bronze Sculpture, Italy
Located in Milan, Italy
Sculpture in bronze lost-wax casting,. Origin from a Como private house in circa 1970.
Category

Antique 1670s Italian Modern Animal Sculptures

Materials

Bronze