Marius-Jean-Antonin Mercié

Overall in good condition with the usual minor scratches, wear and discoloration to surface being consistent with age and use. Minor dents and nicks in places to surface. Slight traces of dirt. The marble group has been polished at some ealier stage resulting in softening some detail to the sculpture.
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.

Marius-Jean-Antonin Mercié was an accomplished sculptor who studied under François Jouffroy and Alexandre Falguière at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, winning the Prix de Rome in 1868.  He was awarded the medal of the Légion d'Honneur for his David Victorious and received further success with his powerful Gloria Victis.  Marble sculptures by the artist, as in the present lot, are very rare and this composition shows Mercié's skill in rendering a more tender, lighthearted scene. The young Pan pleads for his reed pipe which is mischievously withheld by the bacchante.  Bacchantes were female worshippers of Bacchus, the Roman god of wine and mystery (in Greek mythology, the equivalent God and worshippers were Dionysus and his Maenads).