Lot 87
  • 87

Louis-Ernest Barrias

Estimate
60,000 - 80,000 GBP
Log in to view results
bidding is closed

Description

  • Louis-Ernest Barrias
  • les premières funérailles (the first funeral)
  • signed and dated: E. Barrias 1886 and entitled: Les Premières Funérailles
  • white marble

Provenance

The collection of Monsieur Marmontel

Literature

S. Lami, Dictionnaire des sculpteurs de l'école Française, Paris 1914, vol. 1, p. 57

Condition

Overall the condition of the marble is excellent. There are some naturally occuring inclusions scattered across the surface, including two larger inclusions, one to the back of Eve's right shoulder and the other to the back of Adam's hair. There is a chip to the tip of Abel's second and third toes on his proper left foot. There is some yellow dirt in the crevices.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Catalogue Note

Barrias exhibited his Premières Funérailles for the first time in plaster at the Salon of 1878. The model was very well received. It earnt the sculptor a Medal of Honour and probably had an influence on Barrias being made a member of the prestigious Légion d'Honneur the same year. It was exhibited as a life-size marble in 1883 and again at the Exposition Universelle in 1889. The critic Roger Ballu pronounced it 'the highest manifestation of the sentiments that sculpture can express.' The marble was purchased by the City of Paris and was placed in the vestibule of the Henri II staircase at the Hôtel de Ville before being moved to the Petit Palais. This fine reduction was carved by the artist for Monsieur Marmontel in 1886.

Les Premières Funérailles depicts Adam and Eve carrying the body of their murdered son Abel to his final resting place. It is one of the most moving conceptions in nineteenth century sculpture. Barrias powerfully translates the emotions of the two parents into stone. Adam stoically bears his son's body, his stern expression the only outlet for his grief, while Eve stoops to caress her son, kissing him and supporting his head with a tender hand, her fingers through his locks of hair. The limp body hangs between the parents, both drawn together and isolated in their grief.

RELATED LITERATURE
P. Fusco & H. Janson, The Romantics to Rodin, ex. cat. Los Angeles County Musuem of Art, Los Angeles, 1980, no. 6, pp. 115-120