Pierre-Jules Mêne

Overall the condition of the bronze is excellent with some minor wear to the patina consistent with age. There are slightly visible casting plugs to the belly of each horse, consistent with facture. The is some minor dirt, particularly to the crevices of the base.
"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."

Mêne's group of a courting Arab mare and stallion, known today as L'Accolade, was first exhibited in red wax with a thin black patina at the Salon of 1852, entitled Tachiani and Nedjébé, chevaux arabes. The following year a bronze version was exhibited and in 1855, at the Exposition Universelle, the wax was re-submitted alongside two of his other works and resulted in Mêne receiving a medal.

Modelled at his studio on the rue du Faubourg-du-Temple and listed as no.27 in the Susse catalogue, L'Accolade was to become one of Mêne's most celebrated works and was cast in three sizes. Later, both the Susse foundry and the Colebrookdale and Falkirk foundries in Britain edited the model. The model's popularity led Mêne to adapt the horses as separate works: Tachiani became Cheval Libre and Nedjébé was altered to become both Jument arabe avec harnachement and Cheval de spahi au piquet. After his death, the contents of Mêne's studio passed to his son-in-law, the animalier sculptor Auguste-Nicholas Cain (1822-1894), whose sons Georges and Henri donated the original wax model of L'Accolade to the state in 1898. It is now in the Louvre (RF1205). The present bronze is a cast of rare quality and distinction.

RELATED LITERATURE
S. Lami, Dictionnaire des Sculpteurs de l'École française du XIX^e siècle, vol.3, Paris, 1916, p.427-30; C. Payne, Animals in Bronze, Woodbridge, 1988, p.304; J. Horswell, Bronze Sculpture of 'Les Animaliers': Reference and Price Guide, Woodbridge, 1971, pp.157, 162-4, 166; Kjellberg, Les Bronzes du XIX^e siècle: Dictionnaire des Sculpteurs, Paris, 1987, pp. 469-86; P. Cadet, Susse Frères: 150 Years of Sculpture 1837-1987, Paris, 1992, p. 224, 226-7; M. Poletti & A. Richarme, Pierre-Jules Mêne. Catalogue raisonné, Paris 2007, no. CHE20, p. 77