19th & 20th Century Sculpture
19th & 20th Century Sculpture
Edouard-Marcel Sandoz
Djalma, Hindou (The Indian, Djalma)
Lot Closed
July 14, 11:53 AM GMT
Estimate
40,000 - 60,000 GBP
Lot Details
Description
Edouard-Marcel Sandoz
Swiss
1881 - 1971
Djalma, Hindou (The Indian, Djalma)
signed and dated: E. Sandoz 1904, numbered: 2, and stamped: CIRE PERDUE / MORTARI CARVILLANI / PARIS, and with a paper label stamped with the number: 26 and inscribed: M. Sandoz in black ink on the inside
bronze, rich dark brown patina
54cm., 21¼in.
Formerly private collection, Basel, Switzerland
F. Marcilhac, Édouard Marcel Sandoz. Sculpteur figuriste et animalier 1881-1971. Catalogue raisonné de l'oeuvre sculpté, Paris, 1993, pp. 27-28, 256, no. 2, FGH/1904-1a
Created in 1904, this powerful bust represents an Indian named Djalma, who Sandoz met whilst studying at the Académie de la Grand Chaumière in Paris. The bust is highly important because it is Sandoz' first major figurative work, and is very possibly the first bronze he had cast. With its noble pose and beautiful modelling, Djalma, Hindou is a superb ethnographic portrait in the sculptural tradition established by Charles Cordier in the 19th century, whilst its power and elegance look forward to the celebrated modernity of Sandoz' artistic maturity.
The circumstances surrounding the creation of Djalma, Hindou are recorded by Sandoz in his journals. The sculptor describes his training at the Grand Chaumière, where he first met the handsome Djalma. Captivated by Djalma's dashing good looks, Sandoz determined that the Indian should be the subject of 'the first important work that I am to do alone' (as quoted by Marcilhac, op. cit., p. 28). Sandoz' journals give a sense of the challenges the young sculptor experienced in modelling a portrait bust for the first time, and his surprise at the lengthy nature of the process. Unsatisfied, Sandoz turned to the celebrated French master Jean Antoine Injalbert for guidance. He was delighted with the tuition provided, writing that Injalbert's 'correction was marvellously explained so it was swiftly executed' (Marcilhac, op. cit., p. 28). The finished bust was eventually cast using the lost wax process. Sandoz was so pleased with the final result that he chose to exhibit the bronze in the 1904 Exposition nationale suisse des beaux-arts in Lausanne under the title Djalma, Hindou.
The present bronze bears a foundry mark inscribed MORTARI CARVILLANI. Little is known about this foundry, but it seems very likely that there is a connection with the famous founder Frédéric Carvillani, who was active in Paris from 1907. Significantly, there is a bronze by Injalbert in the Carlsberg Glyptotek, Copenhagen (inv. no. MIN 1401), which, like the present bust, is dated 1904 and is stamped: CIRE PERDUE MORTARI-CARVILLANI PARIS. Given that Injalbert tutored Sandoz on Djalma, it seems likely that he would have advised him on the choice of foundry, a founder that he had used and trusted. Many of Injalbert's bronzes were subsequently cast by Frédéric Carvillani.
The plaster model for Djalma is in the Collection Atelier Éd. M. Sandoz. According to Marcilhac only one bronze was cast. However, there is another in the possession of the Fondation Edouard et Maurice Sandoz, confirming that a second bronze was made. The quality of the casting of the present bronze, together with the period foundry mark, affirm that it is an authentic early cast. Moreover, the fact that it was in a Swiss private collection until recently would indicate that it may be the earlier of the two, Sandoz' first bronze, and the cast exhibited in Lausanne in 1904, which was offered publicly for sale and so would not be in the hands of the Fondation today.
The circumstances surrounding the creation of Djalma, Hindou are recorded by Sandoz in his journals. The sculptor describes his training at the Grand Chaumière, where he first met the handsome Djalma. Captivated by Djalma's dashing good looks, Sandoz determined that the Indian should be the subject of 'the first important work that I am to do alone' (as quoted by Marcilhac, op. cit., p. 28). Sandoz' journals give a sense of the challenges the young sculptor experienced in modelling a portrait bust for the first time, and his surprise at the lengthy nature of the process. Unsatisfied, Sandoz turned to the celebrated French master Jean Antoine Injalbert for guidance. He was delighted with the tuition provided, writing that Injalbert's 'correction was marvellously explained so it was swiftly executed' (Marcilhac, op. cit., p. 28). The finished bust was eventually cast using the lost wax process. Sandoz was so pleased with the final result that he chose to exhibit the bronze in the 1904 Exposition nationale suisse des beaux-arts in Lausanne under the title Djalma, Hindou.
The present bronze bears a foundry mark inscribed MORTARI CARVILLANI. Little is known about this foundry, but it seems very likely that there is a connection with the famous founder Frédéric Carvillani, who was active in Paris from 1907. Significantly, there is a bronze by Injalbert in the Carlsberg Glyptotek, Copenhagen (inv. no. MIN 1401), which, like the present bust, is dated 1904 and is stamped: CIRE PERDUE MORTARI-CARVILLANI PARIS. Given that Injalbert tutored Sandoz on Djalma, it seems likely that he would have advised him on the choice of foundry, a founder that he had used and trusted. Many of Injalbert's bronzes were subsequently cast by Frédéric Carvillani.
The plaster model for Djalma is in the Collection Atelier Éd. M. Sandoz. According to Marcilhac only one bronze was cast. However, there is another in the possession of the Fondation Edouard et Maurice Sandoz, confirming that a second bronze was made. The quality of the casting of the present bronze, together with the period foundry mark, affirm that it is an authentic early cast. Moreover, the fact that it was in a Swiss private collection until recently would indicate that it may be the earlier of the two, Sandoz' first bronze, and the cast exhibited in Lausanne in 1904, which was offered publicly for sale and so would not be in the hands of the Fondation today.