- 125
JACQUES LIPCHITZ | La Gazelle
Estimate
100,000 - 150,000 USD
bidding is closed
Description
- Jacques Lipchitz
- La Gazelle
- Inscribed J. Lipchitz, dated 12, numbered 1/7 and stamped with the foundry mark C. Valsuani cire perdue
- Bronze
- Height: 17 3/4 in.
- 45 cm
- Conceived in 1911 and cast in 1912.
Provenance
Private Collection (and sold: Christie's, London, December 1, 1981, lot 146)
Acquired at the above sale
Acquired at the above sale
Literature
Abraham M. Hammacher, Jacques Lipchitz, New York, 1975, illustration of another cast pl. 61
Alan G. Wilkinson, The Sculpture of Jacques Lipchitz, A Catalogue Raisonné, vol. I, London, 1996, no. 8, illustration of another cast p. 37
Alan G. Wilkinson, The Sculpture of Jacques Lipchitz, A Catalogue Raisonné, vol. I, London, 1996, no. 8, illustration of another cast p. 37
Condition
This work is in excellent condition. Rich black patina. There is some extremely minor rubbing to the corners of the bronze base and to the back of the gazelle's right leg joint. Otherwise, fine.
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
Created while studying at the Académie Julian in Paris, La Gazelle is one of the first sculptures Lipchitz ever conceived. Cast 2/7 from the edition was acquired directly from the artist by the Alfred C. Barnes in 1923 and now resides in the collection of the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia (see fig. 2).
The work’s graceful line and traditional subject matter are typical of the academic training Lipchitz would have received; at this stage the artist was more attuned to the traditional practice of sculpture than the modern and rule-breaking Cubist masterpieces he would soon create. To this simple and elegant sculpture, Lipchitz later added a nude and a second gazelle, which he submitted to the Salon d’Automne in 1913. When reflecting upon the impact La Gazelle and the subsequent Femme et gazelles had on his career, Lipchitz writes fondly: "At that time I was only about twenty years old, so that the success of the piece made a tremendous impression on me. The idea for the composition may have come from statements quoted by professor...saying that sculpture is 'a plate and chestnuts'... finally I understood that what [he] meant was that sculpture involved the contrast of planes and round volumes. This elementary idea was a revelation to me and immediately began to affect my own sculpture" (Jacques Lipchitz, My Life in Sculpture, New York, 1972, p. 7).
This group, according to Henry R. Hope, represents “an effort—eminently successful—to make the sculpture seem to turn, to compel the spectator to walk around it, to be aware of its existence in space. Seen in retrospect, this bronze contains many predictions of his later work” (Henry R. Hope, The Sculpture of Jacques Lipchitz (exhibition catalogue), The Museum of Modern Art, New York, 1954, p. 9). Femme et gazelles, and indeed the singular La Gazelle share "with Maillol's timeless nudes a feeling of classical calm" (Alan Wilkinson, A Life in Sculpture (exhibition catalogue), Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, 1989, p. 60).
The work’s graceful line and traditional subject matter are typical of the academic training Lipchitz would have received; at this stage the artist was more attuned to the traditional practice of sculpture than the modern and rule-breaking Cubist masterpieces he would soon create. To this simple and elegant sculpture, Lipchitz later added a nude and a second gazelle, which he submitted to the Salon d’Automne in 1913. When reflecting upon the impact La Gazelle and the subsequent Femme et gazelles had on his career, Lipchitz writes fondly: "At that time I was only about twenty years old, so that the success of the piece made a tremendous impression on me. The idea for the composition may have come from statements quoted by professor...saying that sculpture is 'a plate and chestnuts'... finally I understood that what [he] meant was that sculpture involved the contrast of planes and round volumes. This elementary idea was a revelation to me and immediately began to affect my own sculpture" (Jacques Lipchitz, My Life in Sculpture, New York, 1972, p. 7).
This group, according to Henry R. Hope, represents “an effort—eminently successful—to make the sculpture seem to turn, to compel the spectator to walk around it, to be aware of its existence in space. Seen in retrospect, this bronze contains many predictions of his later work” (Henry R. Hope, The Sculpture of Jacques Lipchitz (exhibition catalogue), The Museum of Modern Art, New York, 1954, p. 9). Femme et gazelles, and indeed the singular La Gazelle share "with Maillol's timeless nudes a feeling of classical calm" (Alan Wilkinson, A Life in Sculpture (exhibition catalogue), Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, 1989, p. 60).