L12230

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拍品 165
  • 165

Jean-Baptiste Hugues

估價
120,000 - 180,000 GBP
招標截止

描述

  • Jean-Baptiste Hugues
  • La Muse de la Source
  • signed: Jean Hugues
  • bronze, on a veined cream and grey marble, veined red marble, grey marble and stone base, with bronze mounts

Condition

Overall the group is in good condition with minor wear and dirt to the surface consistent with age. There are a number of slightly visible original casting joints visible on the bronze figure, including at the top of each arm and at the top of the proper right leg. There are a few small plugs to the bronze, including to the underside of the proper left thigh, where they have been inserted to stabilise a fissure. There are a few spots of greening to the bronze. The bronze mask is slightly loose. A joint is visible at the corner of the right bronze bas relief where the plant and relief were joined together. There are some restorations to the cream marble section at the top rear edge and corners. There are also some restorations to the bottom edge and there is a stable open vein running from the centre of the top edge. There are restored breaks to the marble panel supporting the mask and the panel appears to have been reattached to the base. There is paint and maybe some restorations to the back of the red marble section. There are a number of small chips and abrasions to the base throughout. The group would benefit from a professional cleaning.
"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."

拍品資料及來源

This handsome group represents a nude Muse elegantly poised at a fountain by some lush grasses. The finely-worked bas-reliefs and mask set into the white marble add a finished touch to the pastoral scene. The group is an important work in the oeuvre of Jean-Baptiste Hugues, a French sculptor, who was highly regarded in his lifetime. Other notable works by the artist include, l'Homme et sa misère in the Tuileries Gardens, as well as his grand allegorical figures at the entrance of the Bibliothéque Nationale in Paris, the Gare de Tours in Limoges, and the Gare d’Orsay in Paris.


The present group speaks of a significant point in art history. The discovery of traces of faded colour on antique statuary had given rise to a scholarly debate on how Greek sculptures really looked and performed in their original settings. The archaeological find in 1873 of thousands of small coloured terracotta figures in and around Tanagra finally gave artists a direct visual of the Classical past: the daily life of ancient Greece suddenly presented itself in a new, vibrant and colourful light.

Certain contemporary sculptors, inspired by these polychromatic finds, proceeded to achieve colourful effects in their own works through a range of techniques, from painting marble and plaster to gilding to complex lacquered patinas. The developments were by no means universally approved, with Léonce Bénédite as late as 1899, quoted in Pingeot, asserting ‘la couleur déconsiderait l’art’ ('colour devalues art', op. cit. 1982, p. 223). French archaeologist Charles-Ernest Beulé had earlier begged the critical question: ‘Is [polychrome sculpture] worth reviving or should it remain forgotten?’ (op.cit. 1982, p. 576).

Hugues answers the question emphatically. The present group enjoys variation in colour by the naturalistic association of different materials: bronze, marble and stone. The marbles used are of different intrinsic colours themselves and are boldly but naturally veined, achieving further polychromatic effect. The languid bronze figure of the Muse complements the effect achieved by the natural tones of the materials, creating a mood that is both sensual and serene. The group thus upholds the noble simplicity of earlier sculptural fashions, while also entertaining the new and exciting finds of polychromy. The present work is at once traditional and modern, questioning and deferential.

Hugues was honoured with residency for three years at the Villa Medicis in Rome in 1876 and his participation in the 1889 and 1900 Expositions Universelles earned him a gold medal. After being named Chevalier of the Legion of Honour in 1889, he was made Officer in 1900. A fine version of the present group is in the Musée D’Orsay, Paris (inv. no. RF3684). The Musée D’Orsay also holds the terracotta sketch of the model, entitled La Source (inv. no. RF2568). A plaster model, which was acquired by the Salon des Artistes in 1893, is now in the Musée des Beaux-Arts, Marseilles, while a marble version can now be found in the Jardin Botanique in that city.

RELATED LITERATURE
C.-E. Beulé, ‘La statuaire d’or et d’ivoire: la Minerve de M. Simart’, Revue des Deux-Mondes, 1856; A. Pingeot et al., De Carpeaux à Matisse, Calais, 1982, pp. 222-223 and 576; A. Pingeot et al., Musée d'Orsay: Catalogue sommaire illustré des sculpteurs, Paris, 1986, pp. 176-177, no. RF 3684 and RF 2658; A. Blühm et al., The colour of sculpture, 1840-1910, exh. cat. Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, Henry Moore Institute, Leeds, 1996, pp. 11-60; L. Noet, Jean-Baptiste Hugues, un sculpteur sous la IIIe République. Catalogue raisonné, Paris, 2002, p. 87-89, no. 14h; R. Panzanelli (ed.), Polychromy in sculpture, from antiquity to the present, Los Angeles, 2008