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ANTOINE-LOUIS BARYE (1796 - 1875)FRENCH | Thesée et le Minotaure (Theseus and the Minotaur)
Estimate
40,000 - 60,000 USD
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Description
- Thesée et le Minotaure (Theseus and the Minotaur)
- signed BARYE
- bronze, with greenish-brown patina
- height 17 1/2 in.; 44.45 cm. on modern marble socle
Provenance
Purchased in the early 1970s, France
Condition
Standard surface abrasions and standard and wear to patina.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
Catalogue Note
Ballu considered the present model 'one of Barye's most masterful works and certainly one of the masterpieces of French sculpture' (op. cit.).
This heroic struggle between man and half-beast takes an idealized form in this beautiful cast by Barye. The strong, archaic Greek figure of Theseus, with exaggerated musculature, stylized hair and legs planted firmly apart, contrasts with the romantically conceived figure of the Minotaur and the contorted interaction between the figures, referencing the allegory of the triumph of good over evil. Barye's interpretation of the subject was clearly influenced by Antonio Canova's equally powerful group of Theseus and the Minotaur now in the Victoria and Albert Museum (inv. no. A.5-1962). The figure of Theseus was based on a drawing by Henry Fuseli of an executioner which was adapted from a fresco of the Beheading of John the Baptist by Andrea del Sarto in the Monastero dello Scalzo, Florence.
RELATED LITERATURE
R. Ballu, L'Oeuvre de Barye, Paris, 1890, p. 91;
G. Benge, Antoine-Louis Barye, Sculptor of Romantic Realism, Pennsylvania, 1984, pp. 116-118;
M. Poletti and A. Richarme, Barye: Catalogue raisonné des sculptures, Paris, 2000, no. F31, pp. 106-107
This heroic struggle between man and half-beast takes an idealized form in this beautiful cast by Barye. The strong, archaic Greek figure of Theseus, with exaggerated musculature, stylized hair and legs planted firmly apart, contrasts with the romantically conceived figure of the Minotaur and the contorted interaction between the figures, referencing the allegory of the triumph of good over evil. Barye's interpretation of the subject was clearly influenced by Antonio Canova's equally powerful group of Theseus and the Minotaur now in the Victoria and Albert Museum (inv. no. A.5-1962). The figure of Theseus was based on a drawing by Henry Fuseli of an executioner which was adapted from a fresco of the Beheading of John the Baptist by Andrea del Sarto in the Monastero dello Scalzo, Florence.
RELATED LITERATURE
R. Ballu, L'Oeuvre de Barye, Paris, 1890, p. 91;
G. Benge, Antoine-Louis Barye, Sculptor of Romantic Realism, Pennsylvania, 1984, pp. 116-118;
M. Poletti and A. Richarme, Barye: Catalogue raisonné des sculptures, Paris, 2000, no. F31, pp. 106-107