Nicholas-Guy Antoine Brenet French, 1773-1846 A large bronze reduction of the Vendôme Column Paris, 19th century

signed Brenet, and with mark DOUANE/ DE/ PARIS, raised on contemporary Empire style cast iron pedestal

A. Pougetoux, ‘La Colonne Vendôme’, dans Cat. exp. Napoléon. Le retour des cendres (1840-1990). Musée de Malmaison et Bois-Préau, 30 May- 1 Oct. 1990, pp. 75-81. 

F. de Saint- Simon, ‘Histoire de la Colonne Vendôme’, dans La Place Vendôme, Paris, 1982, p. 118-159.

Overall in good condition and presentation. The casting is crisp and detailed, particularly on the column itself. There is some light rubbing to the patina for example in the relief areas, though overall the color is quite consistent and even. One of the corner eagles is a recast replacement. The Napoleon figure has been reattached just above the ankles. There is a very small and narrow tear (about 1 inch) beside a tiny hole about half way down the column, the tiny hole appears to show a on one of the small construction pins. The bronze cylinder is constructed around a wooden core composed of flat strips of wood arranged cross-wise. The cast iron base is rusted to the interior and has some minor dings and scrapes consistent with age and use.
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.
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In 1803, the First Consul ordered the erection of a column ‘à la mémoire des braves du département’. This column was to be made after the famous ancient model of the Trajan column in Rome. Designed by Lepère and Gondoin, the Vendôme column was cast by Crozatier from 1200 pieces of cannon taken from the Russian and Austrian armies. A Latin inscription was engraved on the base of the capital translates as: 'Monument erected to the glory of the Grand Army by Napoleon the Great, begun on August 25, 1806, terminated on August 15, 1810.'
Composed of a stone structure covered with 425 bronze plaques fixed by clasps, the Vendôme column winds spirally on a 280 meter frieze of bas-reliefs representing the main episodes of the Napoleonic campaign, from the camp of Boulogne to the return of the Emperor and his Guard in 1806. With a total height of 42 meters (138 feet), the column was surmounted by a statue of the Emperor in Roman costume commissioned to Denis-Antoine Chaudet (1763-1810). Unbolted by the Allies in 1814, it was replaced by a flag of lily flowers during the Restoration and then, under the Monarchy of July, by a statue of Charles-Emile-Marie Seurre (1795-1867) representing Napoleon in "Petit Caporal", now in Les Invalides. During the Second Empire, a copy of the statue of Chaudet by Dumont was reinstalled at its summit.
There are several reductions of the Vendôme column in bronze, one of which was made by Charles-Emile-Marie Seurre in 1835 and cast by Soyer and Inger, preserved in the Château de Versailles (MV1520). At a height of 1.80m, this one was commissioned by Louis-Philippe in 1835 and acquired at the price of 7000 Francs.
A second version (178 cm high), made by Nicolas-Guy-Antoine Brenet (1773-1846), medalist of the Emperor, is in the Musée national du château de Malmaison . 

A similar column was sold at Sotheby's Paris, 2 December 2003 (EUR 123,375). Other columns of the same size as the present example were sold Sotheby's New York, the Collection of Bill Blass, 21-23 October 2003, lot 180 ($176,000), and Sotheby's Paris 23 June 2004 lot 126 (EUR 74,400).