#11467 • Paul Dubois (French, 1829-1905) Bronze Sculpture

Part of Russian Estate Jewelry,Faberge,Coins & More (timed auction by GWS Auctions)

Starting at $1.00

Status: Sold

Est. $8,500-$10,000 Paul Dubois (French, 1829-1905) "Le Chanteur Florentine" Bronze Sculpture Signed Cast by Barbedienne Foundry - This stunning piece is a 30" bronze sculpture titled "Le Chanteur Florentine" by renowned French artist Paul Dubois. The sculpture is a stunning depiction of a 15th century Florentine singer, with a slender, elegant silhouette and long, smooth legs. The extraordinarily precise detailing of the clothing and accessories, including shoe laces, folds in his hose at the knees, cuff buttons, the cords and keys of the instrument, and curly hair is truly stunning. The piece boasts a beautiful patina finish in tones of caramel brown, and colored accents. Dubois was heavily influenced by his time in Italy and the Italian Renaissance, and the original sculpture won the medal of honor at the Salon of 1865. A large silvered-bronze version is displayed as part of the permanent collection of the Muse d'Orsay. This sculpture was one of the most admired statues of the time and was cast by the famed Barbedienne foundry in several sizes. The sculpture measures 30" high and rests on a 12" round marble base. The sculpture is signed "P. DUBOIS" and is stamped with the "Reduction Mecanique a Collas" stamp. By 1833 Ferdinand Barbedienne was operating his business when he met and befriended artist and aspiring inventor Achille Collas, who had invented a device that reproduced the impression of painted canvases and also to mechanically reduce the size of sculpted statues. In 1838, the two founded a partnership business called Collas & Barbedienne and started to manufacture bronzes. Here they would reproduce many sculptures by Barbedienne himself, as well as many others by renowned artists. After Collas died in 1859, Barbedienne continued to operate the foundry and produce subjects originally cast by notable artists such as Michelangelo, Luca Della Robbia and Antoine-Louis Barye and continued using the reduction concept developed by Collas. The stamp, reads: "REDUCTION MECANIQUE A COLLAS", and tells us that the piece is a reduced-size of a much larger work and that the technique invented by Collas was used in the creation of this piece. This is important because it indicates that the piece was produced some time after 1838 and before 1892 when Barbedienne's nephew Gustave Le Blanc took over the foundry.