St. Francis of Assisi

Details

Joseph Mendes da Costa (1863-1939)
St. Francis of Assisi
signed with monogram and dated (on the base) and inscribed with foundry mark '/fonderie natle des bronzes/ancne firme J. Petermann/St Gilles-Bruxelles' (along the edge of the bronze base), and inscribed with title (on the side of the wooden base)
bronze
32.5 cm. high (incl. wooden base)
Conceived and cast in 1911 in an edition of circa twelve.

Provenance

Acquired from H.P. Bremmer by the previous owners.

Literature

Beeldende Kunst, IV (1917), Vol. 5, no. 40 (ill. of another cast)
A.M. Hammacher, Mendes da Costa, de geestelijke boodschap der beeldhouwkunst, Rotterdam 1941, p. 43 and 46, no. 32 (ill. of another cast)
F. de Miranda, Mendes da Costa, Jessurun de Mesquita, Wassenaar 1978, p. 91, no. 44 (ill. of another cast)
Kunstschrift, XLI (1997), no. 1 (Joseph Mendes da Costa special), p. 34, no. 48 (ill. of another cast)

Special notice

Christie's charges a Buyer's premium calculated at 23.205% of the hammer price for each lot with a value up to €110,000. If the hammer price of a lot exceeds €110,000 then the premium for the lot is calculated at 23.205% of the first €110,000 plus 11.9% of any amount in excess of €110,000. Buyer's Premium is calculated on this basis for each lot individually.

Lot Essay

The present statue was also part of the four bronzes the artist executed in commission for H.P. Bremmer. Both men admired Saint Francis greatly. According to H.P. Bremmer's wife Mrs. Aleida Bremmer-Beekhuis, her husband admired him so much because 'die de heele schone wereld dankbaar genoot als een geschenk van de schepper. Bremmer zag in hem de eersten ware Renaissance-geest omdat hij het aardsche niet afwees als eene verhindering om zich tot het spriritueele op te heffen.' (See: J.M. Joosten, 'De Leidsche tijd van H.P. Bremmer', Leids Jaarboekje, 1970, p. 84.)

Other casts can be found in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam; and the Kröller-Müller Museum, Otterlo.

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