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Lot Essay
Among the most famous of Western bronzes is Frederic Remington's sixth bronze model, The Cheyenne, a masterful example of the artist's skill at capturing the vitality and action of a horse and rider in mid-stride. Prior to the creation of The Cheyenne, the animal image had been interpreted as a stationary form in bronze. Always striving to perfect his craft and push the limitations of the medium, in the present work Remington employ his inventiveness to capture an exceptional balance of movement and form not previously seen in any other sculptor's work, and thereby established a new standard for capturing dynamic imagery in a three-dimensional format.
The Cheyenne was Remington's second model depicting an Indian and one of the first sculptures he conceived for casting exclusively at Roman Bronze Works. Completed and copyrighted in 1901, the bronze was cast with the lost-wax technique, which allowed the sculptor to model highly textured surfaces. In total, approximately twenty casts were produced in the artist’s lifetime and about 70 were produced posthumously. Although the present work is numbered 17, it was likely produced shortly after the artist’s passing as indicated by the straight rear fetlocks which were incorporated only after his death.
This tour de force of balance and casting, with all four of the horse's hooves off the ground, reflects the joint artistic and technical efforts on the part of the sculptor and foundrymen. Indeed, the artist’s desire to have all four feet of the horse removed from the base became a test for Roman Bronze Works founder, Riccardo Bertelli. "'I very much want to preserve the effect of the action,' [Remington] penned. Bertelli complied. '[Remington] always wanted to have his horses with all four feet off the ground,' the founder said in an interview, years after The Cheyenne and later bronzes had been cast. The collaboration between the two men on The Cheyenne was their finest. Remington's quest for fluidity and motion and Bertelli's technical skills coalesced in a work that elevated the talents of each. The bronze was Remington's first model to be cast in one piece." (as quoted in M. Greenbaum, Icons of the West: Frederic Remington's Sculpture, Ogdensburg, New York, 1996, p. 89)
The Cheyenne was Remington's second model depicting an Indian and one of the first sculptures he conceived for casting exclusively at Roman Bronze Works. Completed and copyrighted in 1901, the bronze was cast with the lost-wax technique, which allowed the sculptor to model highly textured surfaces. In total, approximately twenty casts were produced in the artist’s lifetime and about 70 were produced posthumously. Although the present work is numbered 17, it was likely produced shortly after the artist’s passing as indicated by the straight rear fetlocks which were incorporated only after his death.
This tour de force of balance and casting, with all four of the horse's hooves off the ground, reflects the joint artistic and technical efforts on the part of the sculptor and foundrymen. Indeed, the artist’s desire to have all four feet of the horse removed from the base became a test for Roman Bronze Works founder, Riccardo Bertelli. "'I very much want to preserve the effect of the action,' [Remington] penned. Bertelli complied. '[Remington] always wanted to have his horses with all four feet off the ground,' the founder said in an interview, years after The Cheyenne and later bronzes had been cast. The collaboration between the two men on The Cheyenne was their finest. Remington's quest for fluidity and motion and Bertelli's technical skills coalesced in a work that elevated the talents of each. The bronze was Remington's first model to be cast in one piece." (as quoted in M. Greenbaum, Icons of the West: Frederic Remington's Sculpture, Ogdensburg, New York, 1996, p. 89)