Sappho à la colonne by Pradier, patinated bronze and parcel gilt sculpture

Description: Sappho à la colonne (Sappho by a column) by James Pradier (1792–1852), 19th century patinated bronze and parcel gilt sculpture. Signed and dated ‘J. Pradier 1848’, founder’s monogram ‘VP’ under a crown for Victor Paillard (1805–1866). 17 ¾ inches. Overall even wear to patina, particularly high points. Two small holes drilled to back of sculpture and one to back of base from previous mounting as a lamp. Rubbing to gilt areas. Otherwise very good condition. A romanticized rendering of the ancient Greek poet Sappho standing with her proper right hand resting upon an Ionic column, with a scroll hanging down (in the original sculpture, the scroll contains Greek text from Sappho’s hymn to Aphrodite (fr.1)). In her left hand she holds the chelys-lyre, an archaic turtle-shell stringed instrument. Jean-Jacques Pradier (called James) was a Swiss / French Neoclassical sculptor of the first half of the 19th century. Through public commission and private exhibition, his work quickly secured his position as one of the great sculptors of his day. From the façade of the Palais du Luxembourg to Napoleon’s tomb at the Place des Invalides, his work can be seen all over Paris. Pradier was obsessed with the romanticized figure of Sappho that was prevalent in the 19th century—the ‘burning Sappho’ of Byron’s Iles of Greece—and he sculpted several versions of Sappho throughout his career (for another example in our stock see https://www.ebay.com/itm/296267971225). The Sappho by a Column is the rarest of Pradier’s Sapphos available on the market. The original was exhibited at the Paris Salon in 1848 (and praised in a review by Theophile Gauthier), and was acquired by Queen Victoria of England for the Royal Collection (originally at Osbourne House), where it remains. A particularly fine work, emblematic of the highpoint of French academic sculpture. https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/2/collection/41462/sappho

Price: 4000 USD

Location: New York, New York

End Time: 2024-09-15T02:04:56.000Z

Shipping Cost: 0 USD