Jean-Léon Gérôme

Overall the condition of the bronze is good with minor dirt and wear to the surface consistent with age. There are a few areas of wear to the silvered surface, including to the base and the horse's proper right leg. There is some greening, in particular to the horse's body and reigns between the front legs. There is a hairline fissure above the proper right back hoof.
"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."

Celebrating Napoleon's military victories as commander during his Egyptian campaign, Gérôme originally conceived this model in 1897, almost one hundred years after the actual events had taken place. The original version met with immediate critical acclaim when it was exhibited at the Paris Salon of 1897, bearing testament to the fashion for the Egyptomania style at the time and underlining continuing French pride in the success of Napoleon's Egyptian campaign.

One contemporary Salon critic, the sculptor René de Saint-Marceaux, wrote that never before had Gérôme 'so brilliantly displayed, as a sculptor, his usual qualities of skilled, refined taste.' The original Salon version was bought by the French state for the Luxembourg Palace. The present, rare silvered version of the bronze was unusually cast by the Barbedienne foundry.  

RELATED LITERATURE
L. des Cars, D. de Font-Réaulx and É. Papet, The Spectacular Art of Jean-Léon Gérôme (1824-1904), exhib. cat. Musée d'Orsay, Paris, 2010, p. 157, no. 91; G. M. Ackerman, The Life and Work of Jean-Léon Gérôme, London, 1986, p. 322, no. S.38