Jeune cerf se grattant le cou

Details

Rembrandt Bugatti (1884-1916)
Jeune cerf se grattant le cou
signed, numbered and stamped with foundry mark 'RBugatti (5) A.A. HÉBRARD CIRE PERDUE' (on the top of the base)
bronze with dark brown patina
Height: 9 7/8 in. (25 cm.)
Length: 12 5/8 in. (32 cm.)
Conceived circa 1906 and cast by 1907

Provenance

M. Keller (1907).
Anon. sale, Sotheby & Co., London, 17 April 1975, lot 167.
Anon. sale, Koller Auktionen AG, Zürich, 27 June 2019, lot 1226.
The Sladmore Gallery, London (acquired at the above sale).
Acquired from the above by the present owner.

Literature

A. Salmon, "Rembrandt Bugatti" in Art et Décoration, July-December 1913, vol. XXXIV (another cast illustrated).
P. Dejean, Carlo-Rembrandt-Ettore-Jean Bugatti, New York, 1982, p. 186 (another cast illustrated).
V. Fromanger, Rembrandt Bugatti, Sculpteur: Répertoire monographique, Paris, 2009, p. 283, no. 151 (another cast illustrated in color).
V. Fromanger, Rembrandt Bugatti, Sculpteur: Répertoire monographique, Paris, 2016, p. 310, no. 154 (another cast illustrated in color).

Conditions of sale

Brought to you by

Vanessa Fusco

vfusco@christies.com +1 212 636 2050

Lot Essay

Véronique Fromanger has confirmed the authenticity of this work.

Bugatti’s incredible ability to naturally render the material to his vision is evident when looking at the deer’s form, balance and composition in Jeune cerf se grattant le cou. Created in 1906, the sculpture depicts a deer with one leg outstretched, scratching its neck. In contrast to the reductive process of carving, Bugatti’s choice to use a soft material, plastilina, that yields to the touch meant he was able to capture the deer in its entirety. Its pose which is sleek and monumental, accurate yet devoid of erroneous anatomical detail, lends the animal a character sympathetic to its distinctive personality.

More from La Ménagerie

View All