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19th Century Figurative Sculptures

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Period: 19th Century
Recognized Seller Listings
Large Italian Orientalist Marble and Gilt Bronze Sculpture by Fatorini
Located in London, GB
Large Italian Orientalist marble and gilt bronze sculpture by Fatorini Italian, Late 19th Century Height 53cm, width 58cm, depth 33cm This superb Orientalist Italian sculpture combi...
Category

Italian Antique 19th Century Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Carrara Marble, Siena Marble, Ormolu

‘Le Grand Jockey ‘I by Sidore Jules Bonheur
Located in Brighton, West Sussex
Isidore Jules Bonheur (French, 1827-1901) ‘Le Grand Jockey ‘ Signed 'I Bonheur' and with foundry stamp PEYROL EDITEUR'. Bronze, rich mid-brown pa...
Category

French Antique 19th Century Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

French Antique Bronze Sculpture “Awakening of Nature” by Emile Picault
Located in Shippensburg, PA
EMILE PICAULT French, 1833-1915 "Reveil de la Nature" (The Awakening of Nature) Sand-cast patinated bronze signed to naturalistic base "E. PICAULT" with the title of the work embo...
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French Romantic Antique 19th Century Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

'Morning' & 'Evening, A Pair Of White Marble Portrait Roundels, By Madison Colby
Located in Brighton, West Sussex
A Pair Of White Marble Portrait Roundels Of Female Portraits Representing 'Morning' and 'Evening', By Madison Colby (American, 1842-1871). White statuary marble. 'Morning' signed ’...
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Italian Antique 19th Century Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Carrara Marble

Antique Italian Marble “Ascanius“ Statue
Located in Austin, TX
Marble statue from Italy. “The statue represents a naked boy, sitting on a rock, intent on removing a thorn from his foot, probably from treading grapes during the harvest. This them...
Category

Italian Antique 19th Century Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Carrara Marble

Large Multi-Patinated Bronze Figure of an Arab Warrior by Henri-Honoré Plé
Located in Brighton, West Sussex
A Large and Important Multi-Patinated Bronze Figure of an Arab Warrior by Henri Honoré Plé. Signed Henri Plé to the base. The figure is finely modelled as an Arab warrior, with sw...
Category

French Antique 19th Century Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Pair of Bronze Figures by Etienne-Henri Dumaige
Located in Brighton, West Sussex
A Fine Pair of Bronze Figures Entitled 'Avant le Combat' and 'Apres le Combat', Cast from the models by Etienne-Henri Dumaige (1830 - 1888). Signed H. Dumaige, with title plaquet...
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French Antique 19th Century Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

French Antique Bronze Sculpture of “Orpheus” by Albert Carrier-Belleuse
Located in Shippensburg, PA
ALBERT CARRIER-BELLEUSE French, 1824-1887 "Orpheus" Multi-tone patinated sand-cast bronze signed in script to stool "A. Carrier" cast circa 1870 Item # 307WTP19D An exceedingly...
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French Romantic Antique 19th Century Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Pair of 19th Century Italian Alabaster Lions after Antonio Canova
Located in Mjöhult, SE
Fine pair of Italian mid 19th Century alabaster stone lions with great patination. Based on the monumental lions by the greatest Italian neoclassical sculptor. Antonio Canova (1757-1822). Canova Lions refers to the pair of copies of lion sculptures by Antonio Canova. When Canova created the sculptures in 1792, he installed them on the tomb of Pope Clement XIII. The marble sculptures are some of the most prominent features in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. Given the intricacies of creating the original Canova lions, some artists created molds and replicated them. A good example is the pair of lion sculptures...
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Italian Grand Tour Antique 19th Century Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Stone, Alabaster

French Bronze Sculpture “Shivering Worker” in manner of Constantin Meunier
By Constantin Meunier
Located in Shippensburg, PA
MANNER OF CONSTANTIN MEUNIER [French, 1831-1905] A Shivering Worker Sand-cast patinated bronze signed to the base "Meunier" in script Item # 304PBD20W An incredibly fine and com...
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French Antique 19th Century Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

A Grand Tour Regency bronze figure of Mercury (Hermes) on a marble column
Located in Lymington, Hampshire
A Grand Tour Regency bronze figure of Mercury (Hermes) on a composite marble column, the messenger of the gods is shown running on winged feet supported on a puff of wind with a torc...
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Italian Antique 19th Century Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Pair of Patinated Bronze Egyptian Figures by Emile Louis Picault
Located in Brighton, West Sussex
A Pair of Patinated Bronze Figures Of The Egyptian High Priest 'Pastophore' and The Egyptian Scribe 'Hierogrammate' By Emile Louis Picault (French, 1833-1915). Each signed 'Picau...
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French Egyptian Revival Antique 19th Century Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Pair of Antique Meissen Porcelain Figures of Malabar Musicians
Located in London, GB
Pair of antique Meissen porcelain figures of Malabar musicians German, Late 19th Century Woman: Height 33cm, width 13cm, depth 11cm Man: Height 32cm, width 20cm, depth 11cm Expertly crafted in the late 19th century by the artists at Meissen, the figures depict a charming pair of Malabar musicians. The design of this pair is after models by Friedrich Elias Meyer (German 1723–1785), an artist at Meissen. The figure of a lady is playing the hurdy-gurdy and the moustached man the guitar. Both figures are wearing a pale straw hat, their bodies covered by a maroon-coloured and fur lined jacket...
Category

German Antique 19th Century Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Porcelain

A Meiji period bronze of a seated man smoking
Located in Lymington, Hampshire
A Meiji period bronze of a seated man smoking, shown with his pipe in his right hand resting on a rootwood base, wearing workman’s clothing with bare feet, the face expressively carv...
Category

Japanese Antique 19th Century Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

A rare Anglo-Chinese Regency polychrome painted wax and wood group of two Chines
Located in Lymington, Hampshire
A rare Anglo-Chinese Regency polychrome painted wax and wood group of two Chinese card players, both with nodding heads with horsetail top-knots, wearing jackets with large collars, ...
Category

Chinese Antique 19th Century Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Wood

Pair of bronze standing figures of Spanish explorer & Conquistador Hernan Cortes
Located in Lymington, Hampshire
A pair of bronze standing figures of Spanish explorer and Conquistador, Hernan Cortes, by CharlesCumberworth, shown wearing different suits of armour, each with a shaped breastplate,...
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Spanish Antique 19th Century Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

A White Statuary Marble Figural Group of Apollo and Daphne After Bernini
Located in Brighton, West Sussex
An Impressive White Statuary Marble Figural Group of Apollo and Daphne After The Celebrated Model by Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598–1680) at the Galleria Borghese in Rome, On Dove Grey Marble Pedestal. Sculpted in the round from a single block of white statuary marble. The male figure of Apollo captured as if in motion, running forward with his weight balanced on his right leg, his robe billowing behind. He leans forward encircling with his left arm the goddess Daphne and at that very moment she transforms into a laurel tree. The statue stands atop an original solid dove grey marble pedestal with rotating mechanism. Bernini’s depiction of the transformation myth of Apollo and Daphne is a sculptural masterpiece of pure virtuosity. Bernini pushes to the limit the plastic possibility of sculpted marble to freezeframe the moment when the goddess Daphne transforms into a laurel tree to escape Apollo. Just as Apollo thinks he has caught her, Daphne’s fleeing form begins to be enveloped by the encircling bark; her fingers leaf out; her toes take root. Apollo encircles her waist with a confident arm; but his facial expression indicates the beginning of an awareness that something has gone wrong. Daphne seems ignorant of her transformation as she looks back over her shoulder, lips parted in fright. Her mouth seems to frame a silent scream as her face goes blank under the force of transformation. Daphne’s hair swings around as a result of her sudden arrest and blows free with a lightness Bernini himself felt he never equalled. The story of Apollo and Daphne originates in Greek mythology, but the most well-known version is the lyrical telling by the Roman poet Ovid in his Metamorphoses (I.438-567), a collection of Greek fables first written in 8 CE. The myth purportedly explains the origin of the laurel tree and its connection to Apollo. He says he will wear her leaves in his hair, will use her wood to make a bow and lyre and that a crown made of her branches will adorn the heads of royalty and campions of game and battle. Apollo uses his powers of eternal youth and immortality to render the laurel tree an evergreen. The subject of Apollo and Daphne is common in paintings but rare in sculpture for the obvious reason that neither hot pursuit nor transformation from flesh to vegetation seemed remotely suited to three-dimensional treatment. However, Bernini triumphs in his handling of such a challenging subject, creating an hallucinatory effect whereby the figures appear to almost skim over the ground. Bernini’s statue of Apollo and Daphne was commissioned by Cardinal Borghese (1577-1633) and begun in 1622 but not completed until 1625 owning to an interluded during which Bernini sculpted his statue of ‘David’. Cardinal Borghese was secretary to his uncle Pope Paul V and in the classic pattern of papal nepotism wielded enormous power as the effective head of the Vatican government. Cardinal Borghese as an art collector was patron of the painter Caravaggio and the artist Bernini. As was the practice, Bernini did not execute the sculpture entirely by his own hand, but with help from his workshop. The finer details that show Daphne’s conversion from human to tree, such as the twigs and leaves springing from her hands, were undertaken by Bernini’s pupil Giuliano Finelli (1601–1653). Apollo and Daphne is still in situ in the Galleria Borghese in the room for which is was made, although today it is positioned at the centre of the room instead of closer to the wall and facing a doorway as originally intended. Bernini’s statue of Apollo and Daphne was immediately acclaimed as a masterpiece for revealing his outstanding talent and innovative spirit, especially the ability to portray both actions and emotions. Appreciation for Apollo and Daphne continued, with a French traveller in 1839 complimenting it as "astonishing both for mechanism of art and elaborateness, and full of charm in the ensemble and the details” (A. Valery, Historical, Literary, and Artistic Travels in Italy: A Complete and Methodical Guide for Travellers and Artists. Baudry. 1839 p. 596). More recently, the historian Robert Torsten Petersson called it “an extraordinary masterpiece ... suffused with an energy that works out of the tips of the laurel leaves and Apollo's hand and drapery” (R.-T. Petersson, Bernini and the Excesses of Art, Fordham Univ Press, 2002, p.80). The fame of Apollo and Daphne made it a must see for visiting Grand Tourists during the 18th and 19th centuries and the wealthiest could commission a replica. Fulfilling this demand in the late 19th century were the workshops of Roman sculptor such as Raffaello Romanelli, Ernesto Gazzeri...
Category

Italian Renaissance Antique 19th Century Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Statuary Marble

Bronze Figure of Jeanne d'Arc From The Model By Louis Ernest Barrias
Located in Brighton, West Sussex
A Large Patinated Bronze Figure of ‘Jeanne d'Arc Prisonnière’ (‘Prisoner Joan of Arc’), By Louis-Ernest Barrias (French, 1841–1905). Joan of Arc modelled standing, in handcuffs and armour and wearing a Bascinet helmet. Signed ‘E. Barrias’ and with foundry mark ‘Susse Fres Edit Paris', Stamped 'PS'. Titled on the base: ‘Vous avez pu m'enchainer/vous n'enchainerez jamais la Fortune de la France/Jeanne d'Arc’ ('You were able to chain me but you will never chain the will of France. Joan of Arc’). Cast as part of a limited edition by the Susse Frères foundry, Paris, from the model by Louis-Ernest Barrias (French, 1841 – 1905). The model conceived Circa 1891 and Cast Circa 1910. In 1891 Barrias completed his touching life-size portrait of 'Jeanne d'Arc devant ses judges' ('Joan of Arc before the judges') in marble for her monument at the Church...
Category

French Antique 19th Century Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Staffordshire Pottery Figure of President Abraham Lincoln on Horseback
Located in Downingtown, PA
Staffordshire Pottery Figure of Lincoln on Horseback Mid-19th Century The figure depicts President Abraham Lincoln sitting on horseback, his head turned towards the viewer, on an ov...
Category

English Early Victorian Antique 19th Century Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Pottery

French Bronze Sculpture Seated Woman by Etienne-Henri Dumaige
Located in Shippensburg, PA
ETIENNE-HENRI DUMAIGE French, 1830-1888 Classical Seated Woman with Treasure Spilling at Her Feet Burnished and patinated bronze over original polished black marble base signed in cast "H. Dumaige Sculpt" and cold-stamped 3750 circa 1875 Item # 309OXB09P This exquisite cast depicts a full-length seated female modeled with echoes of classical antiquity. Dumaige seeks to depict the young woman as a noble likely of the Roman Empire, her wealth an obscene display with pearls falling from her fingers almost as an afterthought over a chest of jewels with treasure spilling from the lid before her overstuffed throne with a richly decorated pillow...
Category

French Romantic Antique 19th Century Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Marble, Bronze

'L'Amour Vainqueur' ('A Love Vanquished') By Adolphe Itasse (French, 1830 - 1893
Located in Brighton, West Sussex
A Fine Patinated Bronze Figural Group of Cupid and Psyche, Entitled 'L'Amour Vainqueur' ('A Love Vanquished') By Adolphe Itasse (French, 1830 - 1893). On a revolving rouge de Fran...
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French Antique 19th Century Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Marble, Bronze

'Cupid & Psyche' an Important Bronze Figure by François-Raoul Larche
Located in Brighton, West Sussex
'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...
Category

French Antique 19th Century Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

French Bronze Sculpture “The Amateur” by Pierre Detrier circa 1890
Located in Shippensburg, PA
PIERRE-LOUIS DÉTRIER French, 1822-1897 "Un Amateur at Salon" (1888) Sand-cast and patinated bronze original engraved plaque on front noting title "Un Amateur / Salon 1888", unsign...
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French Romantic Antique 19th Century Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Two-Tone Patinated Bronze Sculpture by G. Leroux Depicting Aida
Located in London, GB
Two-tone patinated bronze sculpture by G. Leroux depicting Aida French, Late 19th Century Height 75cm, width 33cm, depth 35cm This sensational bronze sculpture is cast after an ori...
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French Egyptian Revival Antique 19th Century Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Rare French Antique Bronze Sculpture by Henri Brun, perhaps Julia Domna
Located in Shippensburg, PA
HENRI BRUN French, 1816-1889 Probably a model of Roman Empress Julia Domna Pia Felix Augustus Sand-cast and patinated bronze signed "HENRI BRUN 1856" and inscribed "f. du par Vor....
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French Romantic Antique 19th Century Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Emperor Napoleon on Horseback, Cast by Susse Frères, Paris
Located in Brighton, West Sussex
A Large Patinated Bronze Sculpture of Emperor Napoleon on Horseback, Cast by Susse Frères, Paris, From the Model By Alfred Émilien O'Hara, Comte de Nieuwerkerke (1811-1892). Dark br...
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French Antique 19th Century Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Antoine Louis Barye (1795-1875), ' Theseus fighting the centaur Bianor'
Located in Brighton, West Sussex
A Fine Patinated Bronze Group, Entitled 'Thesée Combattant le Centaure Bianor' ('Theseus Fighting the Centaur Bianor'), Cast by Ferdinand Barbedienne, From the Model By Antoine Louis...
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French Classical Greek Antique 19th Century Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Staffordshire Pottery Figure of Bacchus With Cup on a Wine Barrel
Located in Downingtown, PA
Staffordshire Pottery Figure of Bacchus With Cup on a Wine Barrel, 19th Century The charming figure depicts the figure of Bacchus with a grape and leaf wreath around his head sittin...
Category

English Victorian Antique 19th Century Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Pottery

Italian Majolica Figural Compote, circa 1880
Located in New York, NY
Italian Majolica Figural Compote, circa 1880
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Italian Antique 19th Century Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Majolica

19th Century Italian Belle Époque Alabaster Sculpture by Emilio Fiaschi
Located in London, GB
A Carved Alabaster Figure By Emilio Fiaschi of Florence This Italian alabaster sculpture by Fiaschi displays his skillful mastery by accentuating the grace of the female form throug...
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Italian Belle Époque Antique 19th Century Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Alabaster

Pan Garden Statue, France circa 1850
Located in Culver City, CA
Pan Garden Statue France circa 1850 Depicting the Greek god "Pan". 15"w x 17”d x 43”h
Category

French Antique 19th Century Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Cast Stone

19th Century Italian Nearly Life-Size Marble Sculpture of Pandora by F. Andreini
By Ferdinando Andreini
Located in London, GB
Pandora By Ferdinando Andreini Carved from statuary marble with great virtuosity, representing the mythological figure of Pandora, draped in a single flowing garb as she gazes at th...
Category

Italian Romantic Antique 19th Century Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Statuary Marble

An Orientalist Lifesize Figural Bronze Statue, Attributed to Louis Hottot
Located in Brighton, West Sussex
An Orientalist Lifesize Figural Bronze Statue, Attributed to Louis Hottot (French, 1834-1906). Modelled as a lady in Ottoman dress standing beneath an Eastern style pagoda with mina...
Category

French Antique 19th Century Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

19th Century Bronze Statue of a Medieval Page
Located in Dublin 8, IE
19th Century bronze statue of a medieval page holding a book, it is raised on a stepped rectangular marble plinth.
Category

European Medieval Antique 19th Century Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Marble, Bronze

Very Large Spelter Orientalist Sculpture Attributed to Hottot
Located in London, GB
Very large spelter Orientalist sculpture attributed to Hottot French, Late 19th Century Height 194cm, width 84cm, depth 75cm This sensational life-size figural group depicts a femal...
Category

French Islamic Antique 19th Century Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze, Spelter

An equestrian bronze of the Duke of Wellington by Edward Baily, 1844
Located in Lymington, Hampshire
This bronze statuette shows Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington riding his warhorse Copenhagen. He is dressed in civilian clothes with the reins in one hand and his top hat in the ...
Category

English Antique 19th Century Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

An Anglo-Indian teak carving of Arthur Wellesley Circa 1803
Located in Lymington, Hampshire
This naïve likeness is carved from a solid teak block. The head has deep set eyes and a distinctive beaked nose. He is wearing a tailcoat with seven rows of frogging and tasselled ...
Category

Indian Antique 19th Century Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Teak

19th Century Pair of Venetian Carved Figures attributed to Valentino Besarel
Located in London, GB
A Splendid Pair of Venetian Figural Torchères Attributed to Valentino Panciera Besarel Of solid carved pine, waxed, blackened and beeswax-polished throughout. Each figure carved wit...
Category

Italian Renaissance Revival Antique 19th Century Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Pine

19th Century Sculpture of Guan Yu '关羽'
Located in Dublin 8, IE
19th Century sculpture of Guan Yu (??), a guardian deity. Guan Yu (d. A.D. 219), a warrior of the late Han dynasty (206 B.C.–A.D. 220) renowned for his valo...
Category

Irish Chinese Export Antique 19th Century Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Metal

The 'Allegory of Spring' 19th Century Italian Marble Sculpture
Located in London, GB
Allegory of Spring Carved from statuary marble, the female figure posed in a gentle contrapposto, a flowing skirt around her waist, as she hold a g...
Category

Italian Antique 19th Century Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Marble

French Antique Bronze Sculpture “Three Graces” after Germain Pilon
Located in Shippensburg, PA
AFTER THE ORIGINAL MODEL BY GERMAIN PILON French, 1525-1590 "Three Graces" Patinated bronze unsigned, no markings cast circa last quarter of the 19th century Item # 308ZEK29Q A...
Category

French Romantic Antique 19th Century Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Rare French Bronze Sculpture “Last Days of Napoleon” after Vincenzo Vela
By Vincenzo Vela 1
Located in Shippensburg, PA
VINCENZO VELA Italian/Swiss, 1820-1891"Last Days of Napoleon" (1867) Patinated bronze engraved to front edge "V. VELA F. 1867", engraved to reverse edge "F. BARBEDIENNE, Fondeur", ...
Category

French Romantic Antique 19th Century Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

“A la terre!” French Antique Bronze Sculpture by Alfred Boucher & Barbedienne
Located in Shippensburg, PA
Bronze sculpture model of "A La Terre!" (1890) after Alfred Boucher Signed to naturalistic base "A. Boucher", inscribed "F. Barbedienne Fondeur" Item # 008AMH08W This powerful mode...
Category

French Antique 19th Century Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

“Love Conquers” French Bronze Sculpture by Felix Sanzel circa 1870
Located in Shippensburg, PA
FELIX SANZEL French, 1829-1883 "L'Amour vainqueur" [Love Conquers] (1865) Patinated and burnished bronze signed in cast "Fx Sanzel" a lifetime cast circa 1870 Item # 306PRK21E ...
Category

French Romantic Antique 19th Century Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

A White Marble Figure of a Kneeling Cherub, By Pio Fedi
Located in Brighton, West Sussex
A Fine White Marble Figure of a Kneeling Cherub, By Pio Fedi. Signed to the base 'Pio Fedi Faceva'. Italian, Circa 1860. Pio Fedi (1815-1892) was an Italian sculptor working in th...
Category

Italian Antique 19th Century Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Marble

Pair of Orientalist Royal Worcester Porcelain Figures of Water Carriers
Located in London, GB
These two refined Orientalist figures represent a male and female in Eastern dress, each holding a ceramic water jug. The pair was modelled by British ceramic designer James Hadley, ...
Category

English Antique 19th Century Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Porcelain

A pair of carved walnut mediaeval knights
Located in Lymington, Hampshire
A pair of carved walnut mediaeval knights, each wearing full armour with a visored helmet metal, breastplate and holding a lance, standing on a later pyra...
Category

European Antique 19th Century Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Walnut

‘Gloria Victis’, A Patinated Bronze Figural Group by Mercié, Cast by Barbedienne
Located in Brighton, West Sussex
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...
Category

French Antique 19th Century Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Patinated Bronze Group of a Child Holding a Rooster "L'enfant au Coq"
Located in London, GB
The expressive model featuring a toy cannon at the child's feet, all set on a circular marble base The cannon signed 'Adriano Cecioni', with cartouche to the base inscribed 'ENFANT AU COQ...
Category

Italian Antique 19th Century Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Marble, Bronze

Important Pair Of Patinated Cast Bronze Busts of Bellona and Minerva
Located in Montreal, QC
Important pair of patinated cast bronze busts representing goddesses Mars and Minerva. Beautifully cast in the Renaissance Beaux Arts style, featuring cherubs , sea horses and classi...
Category

French Belle Époque Antique 19th Century Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

French Antique Bronze Sculpture of Rembrandt by Albert Carrier-Belleuse
Located in Shippensburg, PA
BRONZE FIGURE OF “REMBRANDT” AFTER MODEL BY ALBERT CARRIER-BELLEUSE Circa last quarter of 19th century, in patinated bronze, signed "Carrier Scpt." Item # 610XPD04Q A very fine cabi...
Category

Antique 19th Century Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Antique French Gilt Bronze and Lapis Lazuli Mantel Clock after Falconet
Located in London, GB
French sculptor Etienne-Maurice Falconet (1716-1791) is the inspiration for this beautiful, sumptuous mantel clock. His clock, crafted in the late 18th Century and now on display at the Louvre Museum, caused such a stir when it was exhibited over 100 years later, at the Great Exhibition in Paris in 1900 that one reviewer claimed that it "attracted so much admiration from the crowds gathered around that the pressure was sufficient at times to endanger its safety." As well as this famed 'Three Graces...
Category

French Louis XVI Antique 19th Century Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Lapis Lazuli, Ormolu, Bronze

Antoine-Louis Barye '1795-1875' Signed Bronze of Lion Crushing a Snake ca. 1870
Located in CH
Antoine-Louis Barye (Paris, 1795-1875). Lion crushing a Snake. Bronze with a brown patina signed Barye on the left hand side of the base. The bronze sculpture is sitting on a black m...
Category

French Romantic Antique 19th Century Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Marble, Bronze

Pair of Oval Bronze Reliefs After Clodion
Located in Brighton, West Sussex
A Pair of Oval Bronze Reliefs After Clodion. Each inscribed to the cast Clodion. Each plaque depicts a Bacchic scene of a maiden dancing with a young s...
Category

French Louis XV Antique 19th Century Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Renaissance Style Marble Figure of Sleeping Child
By François Duquesnoy
Located in London, GB
This marble figure of a sleeping child was crafted around 1800 in the style of François Duquesnoy, a sculptor active in Italy in the early 17th Century....
Category

Italian Renaissance Antique 19th Century Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Marble

‘Diana the Huntress’. A Near Lifesize Statuary Marble Group
Located in Brighton, West Sussex
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...
Category

French Neoclassical Revival Antique 19th Century Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Carrara Marble

Staffordshire "Auld Lang Syne" '3' Figured Porcelain circa 1850. English
Located in Incline Village, NV
Three figures are seated at a table where rests a jug of ale; all on a rectangular oval base where the title of the porcelain is stated in gold gilt script "Auld Lang Syne...
Category

English Victorian Antique 19th Century Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Porcelain

Antique Gilt Bronze Fireplace Surround Fender
Located in London, GB
This elegant gilt bronze (ormolu) fireplace fender was created in France in the late 19th century. The item will add splendour and beauty to a fireplace, making it the focal point of a room. The fender features a pierced rail which is decorated with a central cartouche, flanked by stylized acanthus leaves. The ends of the fender are topped by full-length, semi-nude figures. These include a beautiful young woman and a bearded male, holding a blacksmith’s hammer. The latter can be identified as Hephaestus (or Vulcan), the classical god...
Category

French Neoclassical Antique 19th Century Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze, Ormolu

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