'Jules Bastien-Lepage, 1880', A Bronze Portrait Relief

Details

Augustus Saint-Gaudens (1848-1907)
'Jules Bastien-Lepage, 1880', A Bronze Portrait Relief
inscribed in raised letters 'IVLES.BASTIEN-LEPAGE.AETATIS.XXXI.PARIS.MDCCCLXXX.AVGVSTVS SAINT-GAVDENS.FECIT
14 3/8in. (36.6cm.) high, 10 3/8in. (26.4cm.) wide, medium brown patina

Literature

The National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Augustus Saint-Gaudens: The Portrait Reliefs, New York, 1969, cat. no. 18
J.H. Dryfhout, The Works of Augustus Saint-Gaudens, Hanover, New Hampshire, 1982, p. 107, cat. no. 87
K. Greenthal, Saint-Gaudens: Master Sculptor, Boston, Massachusetts, 1985, p. 93
K. Greenthal, et al., American Figurative Sculpture in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Boston, Massachusetts, 1986, p. 67

Lot Essay

One of Saint-Gaudens' most successful portrait reliefs, the present bronze was cast (circa 1910) with the authorization of the artist's son, Homer. These posthumous casts can be distinguished from the lifetime examples as they lack the figure of Veritas found in the upper left hand corner and the signature of Louis Saint-Gaudens.