Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 13

René André Varnier, Demosthenes Bust, France, 1930s

$3,377.67
£2,522.02
€2,850
CA$4,632.69
A$5,206.83
CHF 2,711.58
MX$63,327.97
NOK 34,698.01
SEK 32,903.93
DKK 21,695.93
Shipping
Retrieving quote...
The 1stDibs Promise:
Authenticity Guarantee,
Money-Back Guarantee,
24-Hour Cancellation

About the Item

Superb Demosthenes bust in green hued patinated bronze by the artist René André Varnier. Excellent capture of the oratory prowess of Demosthenes considered one of the greatest of his time. France, 1930s. Signed R. Varnier. Very good condition. Demosthenes (384 – 12 October 322 BC) was a Greek statesman and orator in ancient Athens. His orations constitute a significant expression of contemporary Athenian intellectual prowess and provide insight into the politics and culture of ancient Greece during the 4th century BC. Demosthenes learned rhetoric by studying the speeches of previous great orators. He delivered his first judicial speeches at the age of 20, in which he successfully argued that he should gain from his guardians what was left of his inheritance. For a time, Demosthenes made his living as a professional speechwriter (logographer) and a lawyer, writing speeches for use in private legal suits. Demosthenes grew interested in politics during his time as a logographer, and in 354 BC he gave his first public political speeches. He went on to devote his most productive years to opposing Macedon's Expansion. He idealized his city and strove throughout his life to restore Athens' supremacy and motivate his compatriots against Philip II of Macedon. He sought to preserve his city's freedom and to establish an alliance against Macedon, in an unsuccessful attempt to impede Philip's plans to expand his influence southward, conquering all the other Greek states. After Philip's death, Demosthenes played a leading part in his city's uprising against the new king of Macedonia, Alexander the Great. However, his efforts failed, and the revolt was met with a harsh Macedonian reaction. To prevent a similar revolt against his own rule, Alexander's successor in this region, Antipater, sent his men to track Demosthenes down. Demosthenes killed himself to avoid being arrested by Archias of Thurii, Antipater's confidant. The Alexandrian Canon, compiled by Aristophanes of Byzantium and Aristarchus of Samothrace, called Demosthenes one of the ten greatest Attic orators and logographers. Longinus likened Demosthenes to a blazing thunderbolt and argued that he had "perfected to the utmost the tone of lofty speech, living passions, copiousness, readiness, speed." Quintilian extolled him as lex orandi ("the standard of oratory"). Cicero said of him that inter omnis unus excellat ("he stands alone among all the orators"), and also praised him as "the perfect orator" who lacked nothing.
  • Creator:
    R. Varnier (Artist)
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 8.27 in (21 cm)Width: 11.82 in (30 cm)Depth: 5.52 in (14 cm)
  • Style:
    Art Deco (Of the Period)
  • Materials and Techniques:
  • Place of Origin:
  • Period:
  • Date of Manufacture:
    1930s
  • Condition:
  • Seller Location:
    PARIS, FR
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU8131233072452

More From This Seller

View All
Af. Henri Chapu and Att. to Prof. Guiseppe BESSI, Joan of Arc Bust, Italy 19th C
By Giuseppe Bessi, Henri Chapu
Located in PARIS, FR
Superb Italian Joan of Arc marble bust after Henri Chapu attributed to Professor Giuseppe Bessi from the Italian 19th century romantic period. In wh...
Category

Antique 19th Century Romantic Busts

Materials

Alabaster, Marble

Attilio Fagioli, Young Emperor Bust Sculpture, Italy Early 20th Century
By Attilio Fagioli
Located in PARIS, FR
Superb marble and gilt bronze bust representing a young emperor with his robe and laurel wreath. Italy early 20th century, of the Romantic style. Signed A. Fagioli. Dimensions in ...
Category

Early 20th Century Italian Romantic Busts

Materials

Marble, Bronze

Pierre le Faguays x Max Le Verrier, Beethoven Bronze Bust, Art Deco 1920s
By Max Le Verrier, Pierre Le Faguays
Located in PARIS, FR
A stunning green-patinated bust of Beethoven, sculpted by Pierre Le Faguays for Max Le Verrier. A masterpiece of French Art Deco from the 1920s, it captures the composer lost in the ...
Category

Vintage 1920s French Art Deco Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Gaston Hauchecorne, Malay Pirate Bronze Sculpture, France 1900s
By Gaston Hauchecorne
Located in PARIS, FR
Superb bronze sculpture with green patina hues by Gaston Hauchecorne, France 1920s. Representation of a Malay pirate holding on to the railing of a ship with on hand and to the steering with the other. Beautiful detailing in the hands, muscles and face. In very good condition. Dimensions in cm ( H x L x l ) : 18.5 x 36 x 12.5 Secure shipping. Hauchecome was the brother of the French consul in Imperial China, Armand Hauchecorne. At the turn of the century, he was a professor at Peking University. In the literature, he is also mentioned as the managing director of the consulate in Chongqing, as an interpreter in Beijing (1911) or as a "diplomat" in France (1940), who had "spent a large part of his working life in China". Hauchecome produced numerous sculptures with Chinese motifs in terracotta and bronze, some with a humorous undertone. He exhibited his works at the Exposition nationale coloniale de Marseille in 1922 and at several salons of the Société nationale des beaux-arts in the 1920s. Some of Hauchecome's bronzes were crafted by the Parisian sculpture...
Category

Vintage 1920s French Romantic Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Philippe Conficconi, Beige Earthenware Head of Man Sculpture, France, 2005
Located in PARIS, FR
Beautiful bust of man in earthenware by Philippe Conficcioni in the midcentury style. Signed. In good condition. Dimensions in cm ( H x L x l ) : 26 x 16 x 16 Secure shipping.
Category

Early 2000s French Mid-Century Modern Busts

Materials

Earthenware

Antoine-Louis Barye, "Peace" Sculptural Bronze, Leblanc-Barbedienne Edition 1920
By Antoine-Louis Barye
Located in PARIS, FR
Magnificent and extremely rare Antoine-Louis Barye sculptural bronze titled "Peace". Beautiful and rich nuance of red and green patina on a representation of a resting shepherd and a...
Category

Vintage 1920s French Romantic Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

You May Also Like

Art Deco Bronze Sculpture Male Bust Ugo Cipriani on marnel base France 1930
By Cipriani
Located in Antwerp, BE
Art Deco bronze sculpture male bust by Ugo Cipriani. Patinated bronze. Belgian black marble base. France 1930. Literatuur: “Art Deco sculpture” Alastair Duncan.
Category

Mid-20th Century French Art Deco Busts

Materials

Belgian Black Marble, Bronze

French Bronze Sculpture Bust of a Man by Aimé-Jules Dalou
By Aimé-Jules Dalou
Located in London, GB
French bronze sculpture bust of a man by Aimé-Jules Dalou French, 1888 Height 49cm, width 20cm, depth 21cm This fine patinated bronze bust by the French s...
Category

Antique 1880s French Busts

Materials

Griotte Marble, Bronze

Art Deco Bronze Sculpture Bust of Achilles by Constant Roux, 1920
By Constant Roux
Located in Antwerp, BE
Art Deco bronze sculpture bust of Achilles signed by Constant Roux. Foundry Susse Frères, Paris. On a green marble base. France 1920. This model is illustrated in two books: Const...
Category

Vintage 1920s French Art Deco Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Marble, Bronze

Jean Mermoz bust by Alexandre Kéléty
By Alexandre Kéléty
Located in Ciudad Autónoma Buenos Aires, C
Jean Mermoz bust by Alexandre Kéléty (1874-1940). Patinated bronze and marble base. Jean Mermoz (1901-1936) was a french aviator that worked for the French Air Force and later on fo...
Category

Vintage 1920s French Art Deco Busts

Materials

Bronze

Vintage Plaster Bust Sculpture by Miquel Blay, Spain, circa 1930
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Vintage Plaster Bust Sculpture by Miquel Blay, Spain, circa 1930 – Original Condition Behold the captivating allure of this vintage plaster bust sculpture, attributed to the renowne...
Category

20th Century Spanish Mid-Century Modern Busts

Materials

Plaster

French Art Deco Modernist Bronze Sculpture, Bust of Young Man, Alfredo Pina
By Alfredo Pina
Located in Shippensburg, PA
ALFREDO PINA French, 1883-1966 Bust of a Young Man Lost-wax cast medium-brown patinated bronze over solid verde marble plinth signed in cast "A. Pina" and sealed with cachet "cire...
Category

20th Century French Art Deco Busts

Materials

Marble, Bronze