French Sculptures

Engaged Romanesque capital representing Daniel in the Lion’s den France, 12th century Limestone 38 x 29 x 18 cm Provenance : Private coll...

18th century French architectural fragment painted wood and gesso Boiserie relief panel.   

Capodimonte factory in Italy near Naples. Enamelled porcelain group presenting three putti playing with sheaves of rosebuds, one of them carrying a basket on his head. Signed L...

Beautiful weathered oak panel representing Saint Philomena. Also known as Philomena of Rome was a young virgin martyr whose remains were discovered ...

18th century French hand carved and painted wood statue still shows vestiges of its original painted finish. Depicting a nun reading a bible, the n...

A white-grey pair of Louis XVI Epoque Putti or Cherubs statuettes. Hand sculpted and patinated in Walnut in their original antique condition. This Parisian pair of putti are facing e...

2 Cariatides sculptures, France 17th century Oak wood. Very good condition.

Pair of French church sculptures made of solid oak. These two antique figures are from a church in a private village in Luceram, in the south of France.

Place this beautiful gilt statue with base in a living room or bedroom. Hand carved circa 1780, this elegant two-piece antique sculpture was found in a chapel in Southern France and ...

Beautiful and large sculpture of a saint, probably Saint Véronique, in hand-carved natural wood. Beautiful religious object. Standing, she has her head down and her arms crossed in f...

A nice example of a gogotte formation composed of thick swirls and folds of sparkling sandstone. Discovered in the Oligocene sand dunes of Fontainebleau, France, formed circa 30 mill...

Double romanesque capital decorated with two fantastic animals France, 13th century Measures: 26,5 x 38,5 x 14,5 cm. This rare double cap...

Pair of statues representing women dressed in the antique style holding torches. Patinated terracotta stucco. Louis XVI period XVIIIth century.

Pair of original Baroque wooden putti / winged cherubs. We were told that they originate from a church in the French Pyrenees. We suppose they are from circa 1650 to 1750. The p...

A early 17th century French Gargoyle. Gargoyels were originally intented as waterspouts for churches and castles but soon were used as ornamentation. A...

Magnificent Majolica, with splendid brown and green-white colors. This sculpture was made in the 18th Century in France.

Beautifully detailed. Hand sculpted terracotta on original marble plinth.

Very large decorative French Baroque handcarved basswood white painted flower guirlande. Decorated with carved flowers and foliage: 4 roses, 3 lily's and a lot of leafage. Probably ...

'Louis XIV' Gogotte Formation Measures: circa 30 Million y/o 105 x 76 x 15 cm A magnificent example of a gogotte formation, nicknamed Louis XIV, composed of thick swirls and folds of sparkling sandstone. Discovered in the Oligocene sand dunes of Fontainebleau, France, formed circa 30 million years before present or later. The incredible, almost otherworldly appearance of gogottes may easily be mistaken for the work of a most talented artist. In fact, these sandstone sculptures are entirely natural in origin. They have been found in multiple locations but those from Fontainebleau, such as the present example, are the most remarkable. Thirty-five million years ago, a sea covered what is now the forest of Fontainebleau, and dunes of exceptionally fine and homogenous sand formed. As silica-rich water filtered through this sand, it turned into stone. The flow of water finely modelled the sandstone into the forms we now know as gogottes. These are rare and are only found sporadically, several metres buried underground. They owe their sparkling white appearance to the extreme and unmatched purity of the Fontainebleau sand, sometimes reaching a composition of 99.9% silica. Each of them is unique – a masterpiece slowly fashioned by the hands of Nature. The name “gogotte” was coined by French geologist Claude Guillemin (1923- 1994), inspired by the children’s book series Babar the Elephant...

Gothic architectural fragment representing vine leaves France, 15th century Sandstone H 21 x 21 x 17 cm mounted on a modern metal pe...

18th Century hand carved stone column base sculpture doorstop decorative element. Nicely Hand Carved 18th Century Stone base pedestal , it Could be...

Late 17th century French Gilt Bronze Figure of a Crouching Venus Gilt bronze crouching Venus on a pedestal decorated with Boulle marquetry and...

At over five feet tall, this beautiful and large carved oak statue is a life-sized interpretation of a French bishop from the 1600s. The religious leader is wearing a mitre adorned with Vitruvian waves. There is also a vertical swath of waves in the middle of the mitre that separates two spandrel-shaped panels embellished with foliate scrolls and a cabochon. Our bishop is clad in a vestment with large scrollwork and a rectangular clasp across the chest over...

Hand Carved Stone Column Base pedestal Sculpture Doorstop Decorative Element LA Nicely hand carved 17th century Renaissance stone column base appliqu...

Pair of large fire pots from the Louis XIV period. The painted and partially gilded carved wooden base Surmounted by large flames in painted wood. 17th century period. Probably e...

Gogotte formation circa 30 Million y/o Measures : 42 x 21 x 63 cm. A magnificent example of a gogotte formation, composed of thick swirls and fo...

Pair of 18th century French Architectural carvings, ca. 1780.

After a model attributed to Jean Antoine Houdon, possibly Nicolas Joseph Laurent Gilbert (1750 - 1780), poet. Superbly sculpted in a coat and ruffled shirt set on a waisted socle....

Resting on pedestals, this pair of terracotta lions was made in the 18th century. These terracotta lions are based on ancient iconography a...

The Massacre of the Innocents Carved oak panel Normandy, late 16th century (Collection labels on the back) Measures: 43,5 x 61 cm.  

Very nice carved oak Christ figure with a strong expression. Beautiful weathered , France circa 1600-1700. Weathered, and losses. Measurement with the base

Pair of 18th century carved fragment on stands Wood Carved Gilt scroll acanthus leaf architectural ornamentation mounted on wood and granite stone stands.

Over life size wooden sculpture of of St. Peter with a sword. Gold trims his cloak.

Hard wood with rests of polychromy.

An small but exquisitely cast and highly detailed bronze statue of St Joan of Arc in full body battle armour including the horse with one hand holding ...

Large base of molded hexagonal pilaster in burgundy stone carved with vines, grapes and rosettes in high relief. Burgundy, 15th century 28 x 63 x 30 cm Provenance : collection De...

A historically important and early terracotta bust of "Marianne" the French symbol of the French Revolution, by an unknown sculptor named "Gensoul", depicting the young woman in a draped robe with bow and her hair tied-up with a band. This depiction of Marianne is similar to that of the portrait done earlier by artist Jean-Michel Moreau...

Although the 18th century, the period of the Enlightenment in France, spawned thinkers who criticised the privileges of the clergy and the truthfulness of certain dogmas, the Roman Catholic faith was very much present in everyday life. Since king Louis XIV had issued the Edict of Fontainebleau in 1685, Protestantism was banned. This Madonna with child illustrates the daily practice of faith. Like many 18th-century Madonna statues...

Crucifix on Calvary, called 'Pestis Christi' or Crucifiix Pestis 'Plague of Christ' or Plague Crucifix). The sculpture is composite, made with heterogeneous materials: wax, wood, papier-mâché. The octagonal base is slightly raised and supports the calvary, symbolized by rocks, from which the crucifix rises, made with intentionally unfinished boards and with marked veins. The depicted Christ is peculiar: he shows scarified skin all over his body. Masterfully crafted in wax. They are the plagues of the plague that Christ, 'Agnus Dei' takes charge of with salvific value, for the salvation of the world. At his feet the ordeal full of symbols: evil (snake) with the apple, the 'Memento mori' of human bones...

An incredible and rare 15th century French carved limestone fragment depicting the back of a man's head with a wavy hair texture, and mounted on a c...

Masterful sculpture by the French artist Renè Rod made in terracotta at the end of the 19th century, sublimely showing us Hercules as a child, lying on a lion skin...

An impressive life size cast iron bust of a gentleman, possibly Jean Jacques Rousseau. A handsome decorative antique statue for the garden, gard...

Crafted in France circa 1760 and resting in a carved oak niche, the figure depicts the prophet Moses, the most important prophet in Judaism and Christianity. Moses is best known from the story in the biblical Book of Exodus and Quran as the lawgiver who met God face-to-face on Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments after leading his people, the Hebrews, out of bondage in Egypt and to the "promised land" of Canaan. He is represented with horns on top of his head. The horns came about because of an ambiguity of the Latin version of Exodus 34, 30. After being addressed by God on top of Mount Sinai and given the Tablets of the Law containing the Ten Commandments, Moses descended to his people in the desert. His face was seen to shine with a divine light. (The first Moses with horns was commissioned in 1505 by Pope Julius II for his tomb; it was based on a description in chapter 34 of Exodus in the Vulgate, the Latin translation of the Bible used at that time). The religious and biblical item...

Set of two 16th century oak panels, one representing a character accompanied by a dog, the other a character in flames, probably saints. These ...

French etagere ( shelf ) 18th century Original condition Measures: 19cm x 40cm.

This extraordinary museum piece Enthroned Virgin Mary with the child on her lap comes from the Rhone region in France. The saint symbol and protector ...

An 18th French plaster bust of a young aristocrat with a charming gaze and a wonderful old patina.

Rare pair of white marble médallions, first part of the 18th century, after François Girardon (1628-1715) The original model for these two profiles of the Virgin and Christ dates from 1691. These works were created to adorn the marble high altar...

Head of a saint from the 18th century. The head is in good condition, it is made of wax, with glass eyes. Italy 18th century. Measurements: 20x22x15 cm.

17th century wooden columns Beautiful 17th century columns carved in wood with a geometric drawing of 65 cm tall.

Lightweight and intricately carved, this sculpture depicts a small, winged cherub flying through wispy clouds. The sculpture was hand-carved in France during the 1700’s. The cherub w...

Marble lion white marble France, probably Périgord, 17th century Small marble lion wearing a coat of arms pendant with the engraved date, ...

Pair 18th century hand-carved wooden angels were sculpted by a talented artist from solid blocks of hardwood, and feature exquisite features and d...

A spectacular pair of reclining wrought iron lions atop a square brass base with wrought Iron billets. The pair are rare, as we have not seen lions r...

Engaging Romanesque Antique Carved Stone Head, intriguing linear incised hair, tightly curled beard and moustache, wide eyes and pronounced e...

Anatomical model in wax from the 18th century Extraordinary didactic anatomical model in wax. The use of this type of didactic model disappeared entering the 19th century and with t...

Guillaume Coustou (1677 - 1746) "Le cheval de Marly", sculpture in bronze Measures: H: 57 cm W: 47 cm D: 22 cm.

Provenance : In the same private collection for several generations, Burgundy. The canonical Gospels describe briefly the episode of the Nativity. It comprises three parts : • The Preludes : the Journey to Bethlehem, the Census • The Nativity • The Announce to the Shepherds and the Adoration of the Magi Only the Gospel according to Matthew (2, 1-12) speaks about the Adoration of the Magi. Staying vague about their number it does say they brought the newborn gold, incense and myrrh. The apocryphals, the fathers of the Church and many other authors have filled in the gaps of the evangelic tale. The sobriety and symbolic of the story have been a huge inspiration to artists. Although one of the oldest depictions of the Adoration of the Magi dates from the 2nd century the theme became very popular in Christian art during the late 14th century. One of the reasons explaining this success is that it celebrates both the Virgin and Christ at the same time. This important walnut panel is carved in a strong relief and depicts the different steps of the story of Jesus’ birth. On the left, the donkey and ox that have accompanied Mary and Joseph from Bethlehem are depicted behind a trough. On the thatch roof appears the star that would guide the magi to the place of birth of Jesus. Mary is wearing a veil and is seating on a bed. She holds her baby at arm’s length to present him to the magi. Saint Joseph is by her side. The old man is holding a cane in his left hand while from the right hand he seems to uncover himself to greet the visitors. A woman assists to the scene. In front of the holy family the three magi stand behind one another to pay their homage to the newborn. The first magi has a pointed beard. He is already kneeling out of deference and has placed his crown to his feet. He gives the baby a hanap filled with gold coins. This is Melchior as the legend describes him with white hair and a long beard. Caspar, the second magi bears a cup of incense. He is looking at the third magi and with his right hand he points to the star that has guided them there. He has a short beard and wears crakow shoes, breeches and a wide sleeved doublet. Finally Balthazar, the elegant last magi proceeds proudly towards the holy family with his one hand on the saber’s hilt and the other holding a cup. He brings the divine child the myrrh. He probably just dismounted as the horse can be seen behind him. The scene is set in a very detailed and narrative decor. In the right part of the panel the shepherd receive the announce of Jesus’ birth. An angel comes down from heaven with a scroll bearing the good news in his hands. The herding dog sleeps peacefully while sheeps graze. At the top of the cliff we notice the gilded sheeps enclosure. The panel’s moulded frame is carved with a foliated decor. In it’s centre appears a coat-of-arms. It is the alliance of the three magi’s arms. Indeed as it was common for legendary figures the three of them received imaginaries coat-of-arms. Thus, on a field of azure stands a star for Melchior, a crescent for Caspar and a pennon for Balthazar. This high-relief panel is undeniably the work of a very skilled and imaginative artist. This key moment in the New Testament is transposed to a contemporary environment thanks to the figures’ clothing and the rural daily life scene. This way the universal dimension of the episode is highlighted allowing a better understanding for the contemporaries. The sculptor has represented the episodes of the Adoration of the Magi and the Announce to the Shepherd with great talent and numerous details giving life to a picturesque and narrative scene. The important traces of polychromy give those already very animated scenes a stronger pictorial power and a rich dynamism. Because of the picturesque and familiar realism so dear to the artists of the late Medieval era, of the didactic function of this type of panel as well as the quality of the sculpture this piece is an astounding example of Burgundian art of the 15th century. Literature Louis Réau, Iconographie de l’Art chrétien...