- 16
Louis-Ernest Barrias
Estimate
60,000 - 80,000 USD
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Description
- Louis-Ernest Barrias
- LA NATURE SE DÉVOILANT DEVANT LA SCIENCE
- signed E. Barrias, inscribed Susse Fres Ed trs. Paris. and with the Susse foundry seal.
- gilt bronze, Carrara marble and lapis lazulis
- height 29 3/4 in.
- 75.5 cm
Literature
Romantics to Rodin, exh.cat., Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1980, p.118-120, no. 10 for a similar model.
Pierre Cadet, Susse Frères: 150 Years of Sculpture 1837-1987, Paris 1992, p.52, (for an image of the model in the collection of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs)
Pierre Cadet, Susse Frères: 150 Years of Sculpture 1837-1987, Paris 1992, p.52, (for an image of the model in the collection of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs)
Condition
Overall in good condition and presentation. Ring finger of figure's left hand with a restored break visible to the naked eye. Marble is, otherwise, in good condition with its original skin. The gilt bronze with surface dirt to crevices that can be professionally removed. The top of the figure with wear to gilding consistent with touching and cleaning. The original marble base, suprisingly enough, with no chips to edge except for a very minute one to the proper right back vertical edge.
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.
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.
Catalogue Note
Barrias exhibited the model of La Nature mysterieuse et voile se decouvre devant la Science in white marble at the Salon of 1893. This first version of La Nature was entirely nude, apart from the veil which hung over her head and fell to her feet at her back. Suitably, given its title, the marble was purchased by the Medical Faculty of Bordeaux. Barrias exhibited the model again in 1899 partly clothed, like the present model, and fashioned out of colored stones, fitting into the vogue for chryselephantine sculpture.