JEAN-ALEXANDRE JOSEPH FALGUIEREFrench, 1831-1900
"La Vainquer au Combat de Coqs" (Winner of the Cockfight)
Patinated bronze | signed in base A. Falguiére with foundry cachet of Thiebaut Freres | conceived in 1864, cast circa 1890
Item # 306PWM24S
Arguably
one of the most critical sculptures to launching his career,
Falguiére’s work “The Winner of the Cockfight” was reminiscent in motion
and form by the circa 1564 sculpture of “Mercure" by Italian sculptor
Jean de Bologne. Falguiére sculpted the model originally in 1864 as a
greater than life-size work and presented it as his debut at the Salon
where it achieved a medal and was considered by critics to be a
masterpiece of elegance and grace. In response to the exhibit, critic
Paul de Saint-Victor wrote that it was “One of the most successful
debuts in memory”.
It was exhibited again in 1867 at the
Exposition Universelle where it won a first class medal and finally at
the 1889 Exposition Universelle in Paris. The Louvre in Paris acquired
it for their permanent collection and Falguiére returned to Paris with a
firmly established reputation and no shortage of public commissions.
The
original model was sculpted by Falguiére nude, but when Thiebaut Freres
produced the reductions of this edition they clothed the figure to make
him more suitable for the tastes of the commercial market. The present
example is beautifully cast with an overall nearly matte patina that
appears to be a sprayed pigment over chemical base with a muted shine
from layers of applied waxes - it has held up beautifully over the last
one-hundred and twenty years, remaining a nearly flawless presentation.
Literature & Further Reading
- Bronzes: Sculptors and Founders 1800-1930, Vol. I, Harold Berman, f. 718 [present example, cast by Thiebaut Freres]
- Art Bronzes, Michael Forrest, f. 2.243-2.245 [present example]
- Bronzes of the Nineteenth Century: Dictionary of Sculptors, Pierre Kjellberg, p. 310-311
- E. Benezit Dictionary of Artists, Gründ, Vol. V, 2006, p. 437-8
Measurements:
34" H [total including marble]; 31 3/8" H [bronze] x approx 20" W (at
widest points) x 6" bronze base diameter x 8 3/4" marble width/depth
Condition Report:
A perfect presentation. Sealed in wax and polished.
About silla | antiques & art
Established in 2009, our 9000 square foot brick-and-mortar gallery is home to a carefully curated and catalogued inventory of 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. For clients located outside of the area, we are always available to discuss items by video conferencing or by phone.
SHIPPING
We take shipping very seriously and maintain a fully equipped in-house packing facility to professionally package these important and delicate pieces. All packaging is handled by our staff and will generally consist of:
- Wrapping the item in several inches of heavy-duty bubble wrap with careful attention shown to pressure points, crafting the placement of the bubble wrap in a manner that allows delicate parts of the item to remain out of harm's way.
- The item is then placed into a tight-fitting carton with a void fill of either peanuts, Styrofoam, bubble wrap or a combination of the three to ensure it cannot move within the carton
- That carton is then double-boxed by placing it into an outer carton 2-3" larger on all sides with a dense void fill in the gap [note, paintings are generally not double-boxed but instead have a different packing methodology to properly protect the frame from pressure]
All shipments are guaranteed to arrive safely. We fully insure all shipments and in the event of damage we will handle all of the details around the claims process. You are only required to send along photos, to hold onto the damaged item and all packing materials until the claims process is resolved and we also reserve the right to require the damaged item to be shipped back to us at our expense (a prepaid label will be issued) to qualify for a refund.