Lot 146 : MARIOUS-JEAN-ANTONIN MERCIE (FRENCH 1845-1916)
Auction Location: United States of America - 2001
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Description:
MARIOUS-JEAN-ANTONIN MERCIE (FRENCH 1845-1916) BRONZE FIGURAL GROUP: GLORIA VICTUS MODEL CAST LATE 19TH CENTURY inscribed A. MERCIE and titled, gilt and brown patina, raised on a red marble base. total height 39 in. (99.1 cm.) Born in Tolouse in 1845, Marius-Jean-Antonin Mercie studied under Jouffroy and Falguiere and won the Grand Prix de Rome at the age of 23. Shortly after the Prussians invaded France in 1870, he executed a group depicting the figure of Fame supporting a victorious soldier. Upon hearing of France's surrender, he decided to alter his group, replacing the victorious soldier with a defeated patriot, thus transforming an allegory of Glory to the Victors into one of Glory to the Vanquished. Many believe the figure of the fallen soldier to represent Henri Regnault, a fellow sculptor killed on the last day of the war. The full-size plaster model of Gloria Victus was exhibited at the Salon in 1874, winning the Medaille d'honneur and establishing Mercie's reputation. The City of Paris purchased the model for the sum of twelve thousand francs and it was then cast in bronze by Victor Thiebaut for eight thousand francs. The original bronze now resides in a central courtyard at the Hotel de Ville. The plaster version was re-exhibited at the Paris Universal Exhibition of 1878 alongside bronze reductions of the group by Barbedienne. Mercie's modern sculpture had become an instant classic, even receiving an entry in the Nouveau Larousse Illustre. The success of the group undoubtedly lay in the fact that it was admired not just for its aesthetic value, but also for its patriotic commemoration of heroism in the face of defeat. Critics also marvelled at the compositional daring of the group, balancing as it did two figures on the minimal support of one foot. Mercie was appointed a professor at the Ecole de Beaux Arts and became a member of the Institute in 1891. In his later years, he served as president of the Societe des Artistes Francais. He is one of the few sc
Dimensions:
height 39 in. (99.1
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