A PAIR OF LARGE NAPOLÉON III GILT-BRONZE MOUNTED SARRANCOLIN ILNET MARBLE URNS ON CAMPAN RUBANÉ MARBLE PEDESTALS BY EUGÈNE CORNU , PARIS, CIRCA 1870 |

each stamped E. CORNU B^VD DES ITALIENS, 24. to one handle.

Overall good condition; the gilding is flaking and with numerous losses and wear, especially to egg-and-dart moulding to underside of rim; losses to gilding around the bronze rim of base and to moulded collar above the foot; some areas of oxidation to bronze with dirt and wear; the marbles stable sand with chips and losses to the edges; the pedestals with infilled repairs to chips especially to some corners; overall with old scratches and nicks.
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.

The sculptor and bronzier Eugène Cornu (d.1875) was an innovative Parisian artist who experimented with new media, particularly marble and onyx mined from the new French colony of Algeria. He was director of a bronze foundry and several other enterprises in Paris, notably his collaboration with the bronzier G. Viot at their shared concern the Compagnie des Marbres Onyx d'Algérie at 24, boulevard des Italiens. He exhibited with great success at both the London 1862 International Exhibition and the Paris 1867 Exposition Universelle, where he was awarded a médaille d'or. See J.B.Waring ed., London International Exhibition of 1862. Masterpieces of industrial art and sculpture (London 1863) and Paris Universal Exposition, 1867. Reports of the United States commissioners, Washington 1870.