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Lot 238
Description:
A Fine French Bronze Statue of "Jeanne d¹Arc en Cheval", after Emmanuel Frémiet (French, 1824-1910), original maquette 1872-73, master modelle for this size 1874-75; this cast signed "E. FREMIET" on top surface of self-base, and inscribed "F. Barbedienne, Fondeur, Paris" on side; this example probably cast c. 1875-1910; height 29 in., width 17 in., depth 4 in.
- Notes: Note: Emmanuel Frémiet¹s monument was quietly inaugurated on 20 February 1874, but was immediately engulfed in storms of protest from Republicans, suspecting its Royalist overtones. While Parisians, however, soon came to love the evocative naturalism of Frémiet¹s splendid design (now uniquely preserved in 2-1/2-foot reductions, such as the example offered here), the sculptor himself resolved to remodel it, and - even more drastically - to replace it. In response to a commission from the city of Nancy, in Joan¹s native Lorraine, he unveiled a second design in the Salon of 1889, which substantially simplified and classicized the horse, while adding 9 inches to the rider¹s height. The revised conception was accepted and installed at Nancy, as well as cast for Philadelphia; while - unbeknownst even to Frémiet¹s wife - a clandestine cast was made in 1898, and secretly held in readiness. In April 1899 an allegation of subsidence caused by the construction of the Métro provided a pretext for Frémiet¹s removal of the original monument to the Barbedienne foundry, where 200 workers hurriedly melted it down. At 6 am on 16 May 1899 Frémiet¹s privately-funded second version was reinstalled on the original pedestal, under the gleaming "camouflage" of new gilding; it was not until 19 December 1903 that a published revelation obliged the sculptor to acknowledge the substitution. The design¹s second version proved durably popular: it was further cast at full size for Mirecourt, Lille, Castres, and St-Étienne in France, as well as for Melbourne (1906), for Portland, Oregon (1924) and most recently for New Orleans (cast 1958). This last version was a gift from the People of France to the city of New Orleans and now stands near the edge of the French Market at Decatur and St. Philip Streets.
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March 27, 2010 10:00 AM CDT
New Orleans, LA, US
Neal Auction Company
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