The Priest and The Scribe

Emile-Louis Picault (1833-1915) trained under Louis Royer, the Dutch sculptor, and exhibited a wide range of sculpture at the Paris Salon between 1863 and 1909. The previous generation's interpretations of ancient Egypt is immediately noticeable in all of Picault's designs of Egyptian figures. Inspired by ethnographic findings of the mid-19th century, Picault also drew directly from the immensely popular vogue of 'Egyptomania' that flourished, particularly in the wake of the success of performing arts in recreating this era, in particular Giuseppe Verdi's Aida, from which Picault took direct visual cues from the set and costume designs of Pierre-Eugène Lacoste.

Picault produced a variety of Egyptian figures during his career due to the popularity and success of these statues. He also utilized a range of materials, patinas and figure compositions. Some are made entirely of bronze, whereas others like the present lot integrate materials like griotte rouge marble and incorporate grander designs for their bases or their tall staffs, allowing them to function as free-standing centrepieces. The present lot appears unique with the addition of gas lighting fixtures to the top of each staff, thus serving a functional work of art. Another nearly identical to pair of statues, yet lacking the lighting fixture, were sold at Christie's, New York, 25 October 2006, lot 104 ($72,000).