- 28
Ernest Barrias French, 1841 - 1905
Estimate
30,000 - 50,000 USD
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Description
- Ernest Barrias
- La Nature se Devoilant Devant la Science
- signed E. Barrias, inscribed Susse Frers Edtrs Paris. and with the Susse foundry seal and the Syndicat des Fabricants de Bronzes seal.
- bronze, gilt; polychromed white marble; lapis lazuli beetle cabochon; on a Russian rhodonite marble base
- height overall 29 3/4 in.
- 75.5 cm
Literature
Peter Fusco and H. W. Janson, 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)
Condition
Overall in good condition with the usual tarnishing and dirt to two-toned gilt bronze consistent with age and atmospheric conditions through the years. Surface dirt and to the crevices. Visible traces of liquid drips to the backside of the two-tone gilt-bronze drapery. The marble in good condition with no breaks and with the rare traces of polychromy to lips, eyes and hairs, which is rarely found on this model.
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, as in the present model, and fashioned out of colored stones, fitting into the vogue for chryselephantine sculptures.