Lot Essay
Research into the life and career of Barthélemy Prieur is ongoing, but a growing body of small brozes, formerly attributed to unknown masters, is now being given to Prieur and his immediate circle. Among these bronzes, many are of peasants and animals, which accounts for the fact that one of the names formerly given to the unknown author of these bronzes was the 'Master of the Genre Figures'.
The present bronze appears to be the only known version of this model, but is closely comparable with a number of other bronzes with accepted attributions to Prieur. Among these, perhaps the most relevant are the horse from the group of a Lion attacking a horse (illustrated in Radcliffe, 1992, op. cit., p. 298), the doe from the Lion devouring a doe (Radcliffe, 1994, loc. cit.) and the horse from the Henry IV of France crushing his enemies (illustrated in Radcliffe, 1992, op. cit., p. 298). All of these models exhibit the same simplified forms which resemble a stylised piecing together of geometric masses. This is combined with a smooth surface and, in the case of the present bronze, the picking out of minute details in the bridle, eyes and forelock of the horse, which have all been carefully worked after coming out of the mould.
The present bronze appears to be the only known version of this model, but is closely comparable with a number of other bronzes with accepted attributions to Prieur. Among these, perhaps the most relevant are the horse from the group of a Lion attacking a horse (illustrated in Radcliffe, 1992, op. cit., p. 298), the doe from the Lion devouring a doe (Radcliffe, 1994, loc. cit.) and the horse from the Henry IV of France crushing his enemies (illustrated in Radcliffe, 1992, op. cit., p. 298). All of these models exhibit the same simplified forms which resemble a stylised piecing together of geometric masses. This is combined with a smooth surface and, in the case of the present bronze, the picking out of minute details in the bridle, eyes and forelock of the horse, which have all been carefully worked after coming out of the mould.