- 196
Aimé-Jules Dalou
Estimate
25,000 - 35,000 GBP
bidding is closed
Description
- Aimé-Jules Dalou
- Maternité - Portrait of Madame Dalou
- signed and dated: DALOU / 1874 stamped: CIRE PERDUE AA HÉBRARD and numbered: (10)
- bronze, dark brown patina
Condition
Overall the condition of the bronze is very good with minor dirt and wear to the surface consistent with age. There are a few very small casting flaws and a few residues of glue.
"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."
"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."
Catalogue Note
A terracotta model of this subject, given the title Portrait de Madame Dalou, was included in the 1910 exhibition at the Susse Gallery, 13 Boulevard de la Madeleine (no. 11). Another bronze version, belonging to Mr and Mrs G. Haviland was included in the 1933 exhibition at the Palais du Louvre. The model dates to 1878.
As Hunisak notes, Dalou's many sculptural interpretations of maternal themes are 'inseparable from the artist's biography.' His own family consisted of himself, his wife Irma, a former seamstress, and their sickly only child Georgette. Due to Georgette's disability this small family were exceptionally close: even as an adult Georgette needed continual care from her parents. Dalou's wife Irma was not only the manager of the household, she was the sculptor's muse. His breakthrough success at the Salon was his Brodeuse in 1870, which was inspired by his seamstress wife.
However, the present bronze, like his other domestic subjects, has an ideological as well as a personal resonance. Dalou held sincere and fervent left-wing political beliefs and his elevation of middle class, everyday subjects to the rarefied atmosphere of the Salon and the Royal Academy was a powerful statement of the changing times.
RELATED LITERATURE
D. Bilbey & M. Trusted, British Sculpture 1470 to 2000, cat. Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 2002, p. 241;J. Hunisak, The Sculptor Jules Dalou: Studies in His Style and Imagery, London, 1977, pp. 53-8 & 147-8; F. Delestre, Dalou inédit, exh. cat. Galerie Delestre, 1978, Paris, no. 4; Le décor de la vie sous la IIIe république de 1870 à 1900, Pavillon de Marsan, Palais du Louvre, 1933, no. 874, p. 112
As Hunisak notes, Dalou's many sculptural interpretations of maternal themes are 'inseparable from the artist's biography.' His own family consisted of himself, his wife Irma, a former seamstress, and their sickly only child Georgette. Due to Georgette's disability this small family were exceptionally close: even as an adult Georgette needed continual care from her parents. Dalou's wife Irma was not only the manager of the household, she was the sculptor's muse. His breakthrough success at the Salon was his Brodeuse in 1870, which was inspired by his seamstress wife.
However, the present bronze, like his other domestic subjects, has an ideological as well as a personal resonance. Dalou held sincere and fervent left-wing political beliefs and his elevation of middle class, everyday subjects to the rarefied atmosphere of the Salon and the Royal Academy was a powerful statement of the changing times.
RELATED LITERATURE
D. Bilbey & M. Trusted, British Sculpture 1470 to 2000, cat. Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 2002, p. 241;J. Hunisak, The Sculptor Jules Dalou: Studies in His Style and Imagery, London, 1977, pp. 53-8 & 147-8; F. Delestre, Dalou inédit, exh. cat. Galerie Delestre, 1978, Paris, no. 4; Le décor de la vie sous la IIIe république de 1870 à 1900, Pavillon de Marsan, Palais du Louvre, 1933, no. 874, p. 112