Emmanuel Frémiet

Overall the condition of the bronze is very good with some wear to the patina consistent with age. There is a visible casting joint at the gorilla's left arm. There is some minor greening to the patina, particularly to the base around the gorilla's left foot. There is some minor black spotting to the golden patina on the woman's body, and a slightly visible casting joint around the gorilla's left foot.
"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."

When in 2005 the curators of Tate Modern chose to place a life-size version of Fremiet's Gorilla Carrying off a Woman in the entrance foyer of the exhibition Henri Rousseau: Jungles in Paris, it powerfully set the scene of a civilised Paris art world fascinated by the untamed and dangerous jungle.

Fremiet's first version of the subject was rejected by the Paris Salon in 1859, and famously attacked for its sensationalism by Baudelaire. The 1859 version is known only from a photograph as it was destroyed in a malicious arson attack on the artist's studio in 1861. It differs in several aspects from the second version which Fremiet exhibited successfully at the Salon twenty-eight years later in 1887. The present bronze is a reduction of the second version. In the first version the woman appears to be unconscious and is limp in the gorilla's hold as he runs unhindered. In the second the gorilla appears to be cornered and attacked by unseen assailants – a spear has pierced his shoulder and he has lifted a rock ready to strike. He holds his prize away from the attack, whilst she forcefully attempts to escape.

The first version of Fremiet's Gorilla was refused the same year that Darwin's Origin of the Species was published. The reception of the second version nearly three decades later illustrates how much public attitudes had changed. The model was awarded a médaille d'honneur at the 1887 Salon. The urban fear of the wild beast was now tempered with empathy. Moreover, as Nancy Ireson suggests, such subjects offered 'an escape from the "jungle" of Paris' and 'freedom from the everyday grind of civilised life.'

RELATED LITERATURE
N. Ireson et al., Henri Rousseau: Jungles in Paris, ex. cat. Tate Galleries, London, 2005, pp. 111-5 ; C. Chevillot, Emmanuel Fremiet, ex. cat. Musée des Beaux Arts de Dijon, 1988, nos. S132 & S145; P. Fusco & H. Janson, The Romantics to Rodin, ex. cat. Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1988, pp. 276-8