Firebird (The Russian Ballet)

Details

Henri Gaudier-Brzeska (1891-1915)
Firebird (The Russian Ballet)
signed 'H Gaudier/Brzeska' (on the base)
bronze with a gold/green patina
24¾ x 10 x 12¼ in. (62.8 x 25.4 x 31.1 cm.)
Conceived in June-July 1912

Provenance

Leicester Galleries, London.
Mrs. Rosemary Peto, by whom donated to the Friends of the Courtauld Institute; Christie's, 4 June 1971, lot 149 (1400 gns. to Leese).

Literature

H. Brodzky, Henri Gaudier-Brzeska, London, 1933, p.36 (another cast illustrated).
H.S. Ede, Savage Messiah, London, 1931, p.156.
M. Levy (Intro.), Gaudier-Brzeska Drawings and Sculpture, London, 1965, no.73, pl.73 (probably another cast illustrated).
E. Silber and D. Finn, Gaudier-Brzeska Life and Art, London, 1996, no.18, pls.11-12.

Exhibited

Leeds, Temple Newsam, Roy de Maistre, Henri Gaudier-Brzeska, June-August 1943, no.62.
Leeds, Arts Council of Great Britain, Temple Newsam, Henri Gaudier- Brzeska Exhibition of Sculptures and Drawings, June-August 1956, no.2.
Edinburgh, Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Henri Gaudier- Brzeska Sculptures, August-September 1972, no.13: this exhibition travelled to Leeds, City Art Gallery, September-October 1972; and Cardiff, National Museum of Wales, October-November 1972.

Lot Essay

The artist was commissioned by Julian Lousada to produce this group showing Adolph Bolm and Tamara Karsavina in the Ballet Russe production of Stravinsky's 'The Firebird' which was performed in London for the first time during the Ballet Russe season from 12 June to 1 August 1912. The sculpture depicts the moment when Ivan Tsarevitch captures the Firebird. Gaudier made two plaster casts from the original clay. Lousada received a plaster and paid £20 for one bronze cast, the highest price paid for any of his works in his lifetime. This cast was destroyed by bombing during the Blitz and ten casts were subsequently produced from the extant plaster.
(see E. Silber, op. cit., p.254).

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