Joseph-Antoine Bernard

Overall the condition of the bronze is very good with minor dirt and wear to the surface consistent with age. There is a light layer of dirt to the surface. There is some slight dryness to the patina, particularly at the shoulders and the back of the head. There is slight wear to the patina at the nipples. There are a few minor scratches. There is a small area of greening to the front below the neck, and another to the proper left side of the head. There are minor paint marks to the base of the neck and the proper right side.
"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."

This elegant Art Deco bronze is a rare version of Joseph Bernard's most celebrated model, his Jeune fille à la cruche, in bust form. According to the 1989 catalogue raisonné only five examples are known to have been cast, the edition not having been completed (Julian et. al., op. cit., p. 301).

Joseph Bernard began his studies in Lyons and received a scholarship in 1886 which enabled him to travel to Paris to attend the Ecole des Beaux-Arts. Whilst reference is often made to Auguste Rodin's influence, Bernard never worked in his studio, preferring to work nights at a printing press to finance the early lean years of his career. His fierce independence is reflected in his oeuvre, as he experimented with unconventional techniques such as carving in taille directe and modelling directly in plaster rather than clay. Towards the end of his career, Bernard's own influence on French sculpture had become immense. As one critic of the 1927 Salon d'Automne wrote: 'if all sculptures influenced by Bernard were removed from the galleries, what would there be left?'

The first sketches for the Femme à la cruche (full-length model), also known as Porteuse d'eau, date to 1905-7. In 1908 the model was part of an important group of works by Bernard to be included in a contract with the foundry A. A. Hébrard. The life-size version now in the Musée d'Orsay was cast by Hébrard in 1912 and purchased by the French state in 1917. The model was exhibited at the Salon d'automne in 1912. The piece toured in the United States between 1913 and 1915 featuring in exhibitions in New York, Chicago, Boston and San Francisco. 

RELATED LITERATURE
C. Chevillot, Oublier Rodin: La sculpture à Paris 1905-1914, ex. cat. Musée d'Orsay, Paris, 2009, cat. 56, p. 274; R. Julllian, J. Bernard, L. Stoenesco, P. G. Gervaise, Joseph Bernard, Paris, 1989, p. 301, no. 153; P. Elliott, After Rodin. French Figurative Sculpture 1900-1940 from the Marjon Collection, London, 2003, pp. 22-25, no. 2