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拍品專文
The present bronze group depicts the god Hercules overcoming the Nemean lion, the first of the hero’s Twelve Labours. These labours were consigned to him by his cousin King Eurystheus as penance for killing his own children in a fit of madness. Following his conquest, he wore the lion’s pelt, which became his most distinctive attribute.
Barthélemy Prieur is a sculptor who was known for his large, documented monuments, including two allegorical figures - Peace and Felicity - for the monument for the heart of Connetable Anne de Montmorency (1571, in the Louvre, Paris, inv. no. MR 1658). In 1591 he was appointed as Court Sculptor by Henri IV. However, he is perhaps best known in the current international art market for his small-scale bronzes of animals and genre scenes. Many of these consisted of people going about daily chores such as milking cows, combing one’s hair or bathing.
The present bronze falls into a third category, which includes smaller scale bronzes depicting heroic scenes, whether they be mythological or historical. It is known in at least one other cast, in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (inv. no. A.82-1910). The present bronze is a tightly formed pyramidal composition which can be viewed from all angles. The facial type of Hercules can be compared to any number of accepted Prieur bronzes, and the lion corresponds closely – in its somewhat stylised proportions and luxuriant mane – to other lions executed by the artist, such as the Walking Lion in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum, New York (inv. no. 32.100.164).
Barthélemy Prieur is a sculptor who was known for his large, documented monuments, including two allegorical figures - Peace and Felicity - for the monument for the heart of Connetable Anne de Montmorency (1571, in the Louvre, Paris, inv. no. MR 1658). In 1591 he was appointed as Court Sculptor by Henri IV. However, he is perhaps best known in the current international art market for his small-scale bronzes of animals and genre scenes. Many of these consisted of people going about daily chores such as milking cows, combing one’s hair or bathing.
The present bronze falls into a third category, which includes smaller scale bronzes depicting heroic scenes, whether they be mythological or historical. It is known in at least one other cast, in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (inv. no. A.82-1910). The present bronze is a tightly formed pyramidal composition which can be viewed from all angles. The facial type of Hercules can be compared to any number of accepted Prieur bronzes, and the lion corresponds closely – in its somewhat stylised proportions and luxuriant mane – to other lions executed by the artist, such as the Walking Lion in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum, New York (inv. no. 32.100.164).