19th Century Figurative Sculptures

Very rare and excellent porcelain sculpture: Kändler created this group in 1772, right at the beginning of the work on the large order, as a personification of one of the two great main rivers of the vast Russian Empire, the natural waterways Volga and Dnieper, important for economy and traffic, which promised prosperity and wealth to the Empire: The Volga in the form of a river god, seated sideways on heavily relieved fully sculptured rock covered with shells and coins as well as fern and reed plants, fully bearded and crowned with laurel, wrapped in floral patterned purple loincloth. He looks pensively to the side and rests his right arm on an overturned baluster vase, from which water flows together with shells and fish, on the wall of the vase the crowned, rocaille-framed Polish-Lithuanian royal coat of arms with the coat of arms of the Electorate of Saxony. At the same time he touches with his hand an oar with gold ornamentation and crossed red swords, in his left he holds a cornucopia with plastic flowers, ears of grain and coins, symbols of fertility and wealth. The group is based on the front curved plinth with relief gold heightened meander and ribbon border. The design of this group belongs to the models of the 'Great Russian Order...

Shipping policy No additional costs will be added to this order. Shipping costs will be totally covered by the seller (customs duties included). Modeled as a satyr, incised CLODION...

Venus medici - head in carrara white marble. Late 19th century Measures: Height 36 cm Width 20 cm Depth 19 cm Weight 15 kg Maximum projection 44 cm Statue base 12 x 10 cm Place where...

Unusual pair of antique Victorian quality carved oak figures of two gentlemen dressed in period costumes playing a musical instrument and standing on square bases Dimensions: Heig...

A Patinated Bronze Figural Group of ‘Gloria Victis’ (‘Glory to the Vanquished’), Cast by Ferdinand Barbedienne from the Model by Marius-Jean-Antonin Mercié (French, 1845-1916). ‘Gloria Victis’ (‘Glory to the Vanquished’). Bronze, gilt and dark brown patina. Signed 'A. Mercié', with foundry inscription 'F. BARBEDIENNE, Fondeur. Paris.' and A. Collas reduction cachet. The integral base titled 'GLORIA VICTIS'. This cast is part of a limited edition by the Barbedienne Foundry. France. Circa 1880. ‘Gloria Victis’ is one of the most recognisable and important works of sculpture of the nineteenth century and a definitive image of France’s historic national identity. The figure of glory, winged and wearing armour, carries a dying young warrior heavenwards towards fame and immortality. The compositional daring of the group must be admired for balancing two figures on the minimal support of one foot, wings spread in the moment before taking flight. Mercié was a student at the French Academy of Rome when the Prussians invaded France in 1870. Shortly after the war had begun, he executed a group depicting the figure of Fame supporting a victorious soldier. When news reached Mercié in Rome that the French had surrendered, he decided to alter his group, replacing the victorious soldier with a defeated casualty, thus transforming an allegory of ‘Glory to the Victors’ into one of ‘Glory to the Vanquished’. Completed in 1872, a year after the defeat of French soldiers against the Prussian army, the statue personifies a defeated but heroic France. The title is also a reversal of the famous formula, ‘Vae Victis’ (Death to the Vanquished), which the Gallic general Brennus exclaimed upon defeating the Romans in 390 BC. The figure of the fallen soldier was thought to represent Henri Regnault, a fellow sculptor of Mercié who was killed on the last day of fighting. Measuring 317 cm. high the original group of ‘Gloria Victis’ was unveiled in plaster at the Salon of 1872. It was bought by the City of Paris for the sum of twelve thousand francs and then cast in bronze by Victor Thiébaut for eight thousand five hundred francs. The bronze was exhibited at the Salon in 1875 and first placed in Montholon Square in the 8th arrondissement. In 1884 it was transferred to the courtyard of the Hôtel de Ville and in 1930, it entered the collection of the Musée du Petit Palais, where it can be seen to this day. The Thiébaut Frères foundry also cast Gloria Victis bronzes for the cities of Niort (requested 1881) Bordeaux (requested 1883), Châlons-sur-Marne (today, Châlons-en-Champagne; requested 1890), and Cholet (requested 1901). In 1905, the Danish brewer and art collector Carl Jacobsen was permitted to have an exact cast made of the original sculpture in Paris, on condition that the base was made 2 cm lower and bore the inscription “Original tilhører Paris By” (The original belongs to the City of Paris). It too was cast by the Thiébaut Frères foundry. Gloria Victis was one of Jacobsen’s most important and his last acquisition. Today it has been returned to its original position in the Winter Garden at Glyptoteket, Copenhagen, Denmark. The full-size plaster was shown again at the Paris Expositon universelle of 1878 alongside a bronze reduction by Barbedienne. By this time Antonin Mercié had entered into a commercial edition contract with the Ferdinand Babedienne foundry to produce bronze reductions of Gloria Victis, his most famous work. Gloria Victis is first recorded to have been produced in three sizes and by 1886 Barbedienne’s ‘Catalogue des Bronzes D’Art’ lists six sizes measuring 3/5, 9/20, 7/20, 3/10, 6/25 and 2/10, of the original. These reductions were produced by an invention of Barbedienne’s business partner Achille Collas. The Collas reducing machine was a type of complex mechanical pantograph lathe that enabled sculpture to be mathematically measured and transcribed to scale, in the round, thus making a reduced size plaster from which a bronze could be cast. Mercié's modern sculpture had become an instant classic, even receiving an entry in the Nouveau Larousse Illustré. The success of the group undoubtedly lay in the fact that it was admired not just on an aesthetic level, but also on a patriotic level, particularly in its commemoration of heroism in defeat. Immediately ‘Gloria Victis’ was recognised as a national artwork, capable of arousing patriotism and casts were ordered from Barbedienne as local memorials commemorating the war’s dead for cities across France. ‘Gloria Victis’ was considered so much a part of France’s national identity that for the 1900 Paris Exhibition, Ferdinand Barbedienne’s nephew Gustave Leblanc, loaned a bronze example to feature as part of l’Exposition centennale de l’art français. Literature: For an interesting account of the process of creating a reduction in bronze of the Gloria Victis by Barbedienne and illustrations of the casting and finishing of the bronze see: 'Ferdinand Barbedienne': Theodore Child; Harper's new monthly magazine, Volume 73, Issue 436, September 1886. ‘Contemporary French Sculptors’: The Century, Volume 33, Issue 3, Jan 1887. ‘Modern French Sculpture’: Harper's new monthly magazine, Volume 76, Issue 452, January 1888. S, Lami, ‘Dictionnaire des sculpteurs de l'Ecole française au dix-neuvième siècle’, Tome III. G.-M., Paris, 1914, p. 432. Peter Fusco and H.W. Janson, The Romantics to Rodin: French Nineteenth Century Sculpture from North...

Antique Wooden Carved Statue of a Young Fisherman A large antique wooden carved statue of a fisher presenting his haul. Made in Italy, circa 1880. The hat brim is restored. The tra...

" Important Bronze Sculpture by Louis Grégoire, 19th Century. " Bronze sculpture with two figures, representing two young women conversing, bronze with golden patina, signed Louis G...

This is a pair of antique virtue figures. A French, bronze decorative female statue in Art Nouveau taste, dating to the late Victorian period, circa 1890. Delightful elegance and ap...

ITALIAN MASK IN WHITE carrara MARBLE 19th century Mask in white class P carrara marble HEIGHT 20cm WIDTH 20cm THICKNESS 10cm WEIGHT 12Kg MOUTH WIDTH 23 cm Good condition for the age.

An Equestrian Bronze Statue of naked man on horse back. signed in cast H. Muller. (Hans Muller, Austrian, 1873-1937) A high quality well execu...

Walking stick: ivory carved handle. The handle is a bequille shaped, plane in its surface, with the head of a central Native american chief. Sulphur glass eyes. Ebony wood shaft. Si...

Pair of Napoleon III period gilt bronze andirons, 19th century, depicting Cupid and Psyche on acanthus leaf bases. High-quality gilding with matte and glossy finishes. Ideal for de...

Victorian Casted Iron Candle Stick with Bears A great Victorian casted iron candle stick, Germany circa 1860. It is depicting a mother bear holding one cub in her left paw and anoth...

Life size stucco hand, study.

Hand carved marble bust of a woman with vine leaves in her curly hair and loosely falling clothes. The bust shows signs of weathering and has a slightly w...

WONDERFUL ITALIAN GIANT ANTIQUE STONE BATHTUB end 19th Century Bathtub with a beautiful motif taken from the Greek iconography of the Golden Age (400 BC). The feet are in terracotta...

A fine quality pair of 19th Century French patinated bronze statues of two Cavaliers. Each dressed in classical hats and cloaks, signed ; Salmson. Jean Jules Salmson...

Pair of British colonial wooden sculptural globes. The brown one is in solid oak and the black in stained pine. In great vintage condition and very decorative. Sold as a set. Dime...

Magnificent crucifix in painted wood, mounted on line crosses, 19th century, Trentino. Dimensions: 171.50x112cm

Bust of the famous Apollo of Belvedere, the original dating from the third century BC. Here a variant made of hand-cut granite with traces of weathering and a slightly softened authe...

A very dramatic and classical 19th Century bronze statue of a bearded woods man splitting a tree trunk, circa 1860-80 Batch 73

Pair of antique Victorian Staffordshire figures of two gentlemen in period uniform riding black and white coloured horses on oval bases...

MARCO AURELIO HEAD IN WHITE CARRARA MARBLE 19th Century Marcus Aurelius (Rome 121 - Vindobona 180 AD), head in white Carrara marble. Roman Emperor (161-180), follower of the philoso...

Beautiful wooden sculpture in pine wood depicting Saint Anne and Mary as a child. Extremely refined details, 19th century, Trentino. Dimensions: 10x27x60cm

A rare and very stylish French glazed stoneware figure of a patriotic singing frog attributed to renowned ceramicist Alexandre Bigot (French, 1862-1927) and dating from the latter 19...

Excellent large meissen figurine group around 1860: Beautiful, youthful Europe, the primordial mother of the continent, with her hair tied back and adorned with flowers, sits sideways on the strong, white bull, which is actually the transformed father of the god Zeus, who kidnaps the young woman. She is covered only with a large floor-length cloth with golden stars. With her right hand she holds on to one of the animal's horns, with her left hand she grasps its neck, a flower garland adorns the animal's head, two nymphs wrapped in shawls kneel at Europe's feet and offer flowers from a basket. The group is based on an oval base with rocaille decoration heightened in gold. Design: Johann Friedrich Eberlein (1695 - 1749) From 1735 sculptor and modeller at the Meissen porcelain factory. Eberlein worked with Johann Friedrich Eberlein (1706 - 1775) - a modeller at the Meissen manufactory since 1731: Together with J. J. KÄNDLER and Johann Gottlieb Ehder, he created the swan service with more than 2,200 individual items between 1737 and 1742. Eberlein's own creations show classical deities on opulent baroque...

A superbly carved early C19th `Grand Tour` marble sculpture of the crouching Venus in good scale. The nude goddess half-kneels on an integral naturalistic base, her arms crossed in f...

Antica scultura - bronzo - africana - Benin - XIX secolo Descrizione Antica Scultura in bronzo africana di una raffigurazione del Re Coronato Ife Malu, originaria del Benin del XIX ...

Rare antique bronze sculpture, 19th century. Roberto Negri was an Italian sculptor active in the city of Turin between the end of the 19th century and the first decades of the 20th c...

Important Unique Italian Sculpture ATENA LEMNIA IN WHITE CARRARA MARBLE 19th Century Italy Head in white Carrara marble, sculpted by us by hand with the aid of the "stitch machine", ...

Antica scultura lignea Raffigurazione di Santo Descrizione Antica scultura policroma lignea Presenta mancanze date dal tempo 1800 Produzione: Ita...

Alfred Boucher (French, 1850-1934), ‘Diana the Huntress’, A Near Lifesize Statuary Marble Group. Modelled nude with head turned looking to her left, striding forward holding the greyhound by its collar with her right hand and a giltwood bow in her left hand. On an integral carved base with foliage support. Signed 'A. BOUCHER' Boucher’s choice of pose is deliberately indebted to the celebrated mid-16th century painting of Diana the Huntress by an anonymous artist of the School of Fontainebleau. The painting is a mythical representation of Diane de Poitiers, the mistress of King Henry II, in the guise of the goddess Diana, who is shown nude, walking forward beside a greyhound, looking over her left shoulder and holding a bow. Another clear antecedent for Boucher’s ‘Diane the Huntress...

Early 19th century alabaster sculpture from the grand tour period depicting Farnese Hercules with base in verde Alpi marble

A mid-19th Century well-cast Model of the Sphinx of Giza mounted on veined marble base.

Dating from the 1870s, this decorative antique corbel figure was once used to embellish a ceiling, perhaps of a prestigious Victorian banqueting hall. Due to its age, it is today mor...

Four antique Staffordshire Flatback Figures of a lady and gentleman on horseback, a girl holding a bird and a couple carrying their wares, all ha...

Pair of Art Nouveau bronze busts of a young woman Mignon and Esmeralda by Emmanuel Villanis. Both with beautiful patina and foundry mark. France 1896. Mignon: E. Villanis, initial...

Dating from the 1870s, these decorative antique corbel figures were once used to embellish a ceiling, perhaps of a prestigious Victorian banqueting hall. Due to their age, they are t...

Victorian Gilt Bronze figure of a Child playing the Cymbals Sitting Cross leg on a rock, fine detailed casting, on the face, Hands with the cymbal band wrapped around, Stripes on...

Antica scultura lignea Raffigurazione di Santo Descrizione Antica scultura policroma lignea Presenta mancanze date dal tempo 1800 Produzione: Ita...

A very fine and attractive Chinese Qing Dynasty turquoise glazed figure of Guanyin dating from the 19th Century or possibly earlier. The hollow biscuit porcelain figurine...

Antique 19th Century French patinated bronze by Pierre Jules Méne (French, 1810-1871), of 'Valet de Limier (The Bloodhound Handler)', the huntsman led by his dog on oval naturalistic...

This is an elegant monumental Grand Tour bronze sculpture of Michelangelo's David, circa 1880 in date. The full-length portrait statue is of David, the 14ft marble statue depicts the Biblical hero David, represented as a standing male nude, David looks tense and ready for battle after he has made the decision to fight Goliath, but, before the battle has actually taken place. His brow is drawn, his neck tense, and the veins bulge out of his lowered right hand and holding his slingshot over his shoulder. This impressive scuplture is 107cm (3ft 6" ) tall and weighs over 36kgs (79lbs). This high quality hot cast solid bronze was produced using the traditional 'lost wax' process. The attention to detail of this sculpture is absolutely fantastic. Condition: In really excellent condition, please see photos for confirmation. Dimensions in cm: Height 107 x Width 41 x Depth 24.5 Weight 36.3 kg Dimensions in inches: Height 3 foot, 6 inches x Width 1 foot, 4 inches x Depth 10 inches Weight 80.0 lbs Michelangelo's David This astonishing Renaissance sculpture was created between 1501 and 1504. It is a 14ft marble statue depicting the Biblical hero David, represented as a standing male nude. Originally commissioned by the Opera del Duomo for the Cathedral of Florence, it was meant to be one of a series of large statues to be positioned in the niches of the cathedral’s tribunes, way up at about 80mt from the ground. Michelangelo was asked by the consuls of the Board to complete an unfinished project begun in 1464 by Agostino di Duccio and later carried on by Antonio Rossellino in 1475. Both sculptors had in the end rejected an enormous block of marble due to the presence of too many “taroli”, or imperfections, which may have threatened the stability of such a huge statue...

A scale white statuary marble sculpture of Moses after Michelangelo circa 1875. After the larger than life-size Carrara marble original from the tomb of Pope Julius II in St. Peter’s Basilica, Rome completed around 1515. This scale sculpture is exceptionally carved, capturing the quality and detail of Michelangelo’s Moses...

Excellent Meissen porcelain group of the 19th century: Depiction of the merely cloth-covered, bearded and crowned god Hephaestus (Roman: Vulcanus) seated centrally on a rock, holding a long-handled hammer beside him and looking off to the side, surrounded by winged putti representing activities from his trade: Patronizing the entire artistic spectrum of metalworking, including the production of jewelry, weapons, sacred-ritual and profane utilitarian objects, the one helping putto to his right is busy firing a cannon made of metal, to his left another putto is forging on an anvil with the help of a hammer and tongs, in front of him, at his feet are presented ornately crafted war ornaments such as a helmet and shield, at the back a putto holds small torches in both hands. The group is based on irregular rock base with gold rim. Designer: MICHAEL VICTOR ACIER (1736 Versailles - 1799 Dresden) Trained as a sculptor in Paris, he received a call to the porcelain factory in Meissen in 1762: he created a large number of groups in the Watteau style...

Bronze representing cupid kneeling on the ground and imploring. We find his quiver on which is inscribed "Salon of 1877". Signature on the terrace "L. Kley" for Louis Kley, sculptor ...

Excellent Meissen porcelain group of the 19th century: Depiction of a bearded old man with angel wings, covered only with a cloth, sitting in the middle of a mountain of clouds, probably Chronos from Greek mythology, symbolizing the passage of life and reminding us that time flies, holding a long staff (usually with sickle) in his hand, surrounded by winged putti, representing activities on and with air: To the right of the old man a standing putto with waving cloth, embracing a peacock, the bird of paradise and symbol of heaven, and breathing into a tube forming a soap bubble, in the foreground wind is produced with the help of a bellows, to the left of and behind Chronos two putti with garlands of flowers and a little bird in their hands. The group is based on an earth pedestal with piled up clouds and gold rim. Designer: MICHAEL VICTOR ACIER (1736 Versailles - 1799 Dresden) Trained as a sculptor in Paris, he received a call to the porcelain factory in Meissen in 1762: he created a large number of groups in the Watteau style...

'Cupid & Psyche' - An important parcel-gilt and patinated bronze figure, by François-Raoul Larche. Signed to the base 'Raoul Larche 1891'. This finely cast parcel-gilt bronze figure depicts Cupid and Psyche with Zephyr. François-Raoul Larche (1860-1912), the son of an ornamental sculptor, was a well-known Art Nouveau sculptor...

A mid 19th century antique statuary white marble sculpture of a youth wearing a toga, possibly a young St. John the Baptist in the manner of Italian n...

Wooden Carved Black Forest Garden Fountain Water Spout 19th century A large Black Forest wooden carved water spout featuring "Ruebezahl", which is the mountain spirit of the giant m...

Attractive Carrara marble reproduction of the famous group by Giambologna in the Loggia dei Lanzi in Florence. The statue is made from a single block of marble. It presents three fig...

A good pair of patinated bronze busts of two children, set on black marble bases.

Antique bronze candlestick, depict a bacchanalian putto astride crocodile (or alligator), holding aloft entwined vines, rising to bunches of grapes and vine leaves. The putto is sat ...

Bronze statue in the style of Guillaume Marly. The horses of Marly were commissioned by Louis XV to sculptor Guillaume Coustou to decorate the entrance of the park of Marly castle. ...

A pair of cast iron antique doorstops in the form of seated blue rabbits, reminiscent of Easter bunnies (bunny), produced around 1890. Dimensions:...

For sale in this ad you can find the prettiest little porcelain figurine. It was manufactured by Meissen Porcelain in the 1860s. The figurine depicts a water carrying a tray with foo...

Pair of bronzes of a dancer and a musician, on a Paris porcelain base, model of sculptures after Canova Restored bases, normal wear to the patina and decoration XIXth century Heig...

"Bronze Sculpture - Ancient Woman - Barbedienne / Colas - France - 19th" Bronze sculpture, representing a woman in the ancient, Polymnia* Barber smelter, mechanical reduction by the...