Lot 82
  • 82

Aimé-Jules Dalou

Estimate
40,000 - 60,000 GBP
bidding is closed

Description

  • Aimé-Jules Dalou
  • Baigneuse dite avant le bain (Bather before the bath)
  • signed: DALOU and stamped: CIRE / PERDUE / A.A. HEBRARD
  • bronze, rich reddish brown patina

Condition

Overall the condition of the bronze is very good, with minor dirt and wear to the surface consistent with age. There is a dark brown-green patina over a lighter brown patina, which reveals itself in areas across the body. There are a few very minor pits in the bronze such as at the proper right shin, consistent with the bronze casting technique. There are a few very small scratches to the proper left knee and lower leg. There is some very minor rubbing to the top of the head.
"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

Dalou began to model the female nude in intimate domestic scenes in the early 1870s. During this period he was resident in England as a republican exile. Up to this date his reputation was largely focused on his figures of women reading and nursing their children. The exploration of the nude was a natural development.

Dalou's well known skill in rapid modelling in terracotta ideally suited  these studies. Many of these maquettes are preserved in the Petit Palais and Musée d'Orsay. A few maquettes were worked up into more finished terracotta. No life-time bronze casts exist because Dalou discouraged the production of commercial editions. However, several of these models were cast from 1902, first by the Hebrard and subsequently by the Susse foundries. The bronzes made by Hebrard in paricular have very subtle patinas and precise lost wax casting which retain all the delicate surface textures of the original terracotta.

It is interesting to note that Dalou began to explore the theme of women washing and drying a decade before Degas worked on similar subject matter. If Dalou had been more open to casting his models in editions his original contribution to the development of the nude in late nineteenth century French art would be more widely appreciated.

RELATED LITERATURE
A. Simier, Jules Dalou. Le sculpteur de la République, exh. cat. Petit Palais - Musées des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris, Paris, 2013, pp. 388-389, no. 315