- 125
Marius-Jean-Antonin Mercié French, 1845-1916
Estimate
12,000 - 18,000 USD
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Description
- Marius-Jean-Antonin Mercié
- Gloria Victis
- titled GLORIA VICTIS, signed A. MERCIÉ, inscribed F. BARBEDIENNE. Fondeur and with the Achille Collas Seal
- bronze; gilt and brown patinated
- height 36 1/2 in.
- 93 cm
Literature
Peter Fusco and H.W. Janson, The Romantics to Rodin: French Nineteenth Century Sculpture from North American Collections, Los Angeles, 1980, p. 304, for an example of the model in the collection of the Clevelend Museum of Art
Condition
Overall in good original condition with the usual wear to the patina in places especially to high reliefs of the composition and such consistent with handling, touching, and cleaning. Light scratches consistent with age. Although the original model is designed with a broken sword, please note the present lot has a shorter sword owing to a loss of about 1 in.
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
The Gloria Victis sculpture group was executed shortly after the Franco-Prussian War and, while Marius-Jean-Antonin Mercié initially planned to depict Fame and a triumphant soldier, the victor was replaced with a defeated soldier following France's surrender. Replicas of this iconic composition were used on monuments commemorating the war in many French towns, including Niort, Deux-Sèvres, Agen, and Bordeaux.
Mercié was one of the most successful French sculptors of his generation, and as early as 1868 he was awarded the Prix de Rome, soon followed by accolades such as the cross of the Légion d'honneur, the Medal of Honor at the 1874 Salon (for his Gloria Victis sculpture group), and the Grand Prix at the 1878 Exposition Universelle. In 1900, he became a professor at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris (where he studied in addition to the Académie de France in Rome) and in 1913 he was made President of the Société des Artistes Français.