Émile-Antoine Bourdelle (1861-1929) - photo 1
Émile-Antoine Bourdelle (1861-1929) - photo 2
Émile-Antoine Bourdelle (1861-1929) - photo 3
Émile-Antoine Bourdelle (1861-1929) - photo 4
Émile-Antoine Bourdelle (1861-1929) - photo 5

Émile-Antoine Bourdelle (1861-1929)

Sold
€ 88 200
Auction dateClassic
21.10.2023 14:30UTC +02:00
Auctioneer
CHRISTIE'S
Event location
France, Paris
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ID 1051768
Lot 450 | Émile-Antoine Bourdelle (1861-1929)
Émile-Antoine Bourdelle (1861-1929)

Pénélope, modèle intermédiaire avec pied et sans fuseau

monogrammé et signé ‘Bourdelle’ (sur le côté droit de la base); signé, numéroté et avec la marque du fondeur 'MHOH WILLER FONDEUR PARIS © BY BOURDELLE No. IX' (à l'arrière de la base)

bronze à patine brun-vert

Hauteur: 119.5 cm.

Conçu en 1905-09; cette épreuve fondue vers 1960-70 dans une édition de 10 exemplaires



with the monogram and signed ‘Bourdelle’ (on the right side of the base); signed, numbered and with the foundry mark 'MHOH WILLER FONDEUR PARIS © BY BOURDELLE No. IX' (at the back of the base)

bronze with brown and green patina

Height : 47 in.

Conceived in 1905-09; this bronze cast circa 1960-70 in an edition of 10





Provenance

Sam Josefowitz, Pully (avant 1965).

Puis par descendance aux propriétaires actuels.



Literature

P. Descargues, Bourdelle, Paris, 1954, p. 27 (une autre épreuve illustrée).

I. Jianou et M. Dufet, Bourdelle, Paris, 1965, p. 85.

P. Cannon-Brookes, Émile Antoine Bourdelle, An illustrated commentary, Londres, 1983, p. 52, no. 78 (une autre épreuve illustrée).

I. Jianou et M. Dufet, Bourdelle, Paris, 1984, p. 96, no. 319.

C. M. Lavrillier et M. Dufet, Bourdelle et la critique de son temps, Paris, 1992, p. 220, no. 76 (une autre épreuve illustrée, p. 76).

C. Lemoine, Antoine Bourdelle, L'Œuvre à demeure, Paris, 2009, p. 59, no. 32 (une autre version illustrée, p. 58).



Exhibited

(prêt) Toronto, Art Gallery of Ontario.



Further details

Pilier vivant de la fidélité, la 'sage Pénélope' est le personnage central du poème L'Odyssée. La création de Pénélope (1905-1912) traduit à la fois la ferveur et la douleur de l'attente de l'être aimé : les yeux fermés, la tête appuyée sur sa main, elle espère. On sait que l'œuvre est ancrée dans l'histoire intime du sculpteur. Les traits du visage sont inspirés de la première femme de l'artiste, Stéphanie Van Parys. La posture est proche de celle de Cléopâtre dans Sevastos en extase devant les divins hindous (Londres, British Museum de Londres), où Bourdelle a emmené la jeune élève qui allait devenir sa seconde épouse.
D'abord modelée à petite échelle (42.5 cm.), audacieusement agrandie (240 cm.) dans sa version définitive, Pénélope a l'ampleur d'une belle œuvre architecturale. Tout concourt à créer un effet de 'masse vitale'. Comme les cannelures d'une colonne dorique, les plis de la tunique s'accrochent aux formes généreuses, contenant l'amplitude des volumes. Et l'étreinte du bras rassemble en elle cette figure de la solitude - 'une âme qui se tient debout sans tomber'.
Jérôme Godeau (site du Musée Bourdelle)


A living pillar of fidelity, the 'wise Penelope' is the central character in the poem The Odyssey. The creation of Pénélope (1905-1912) conveys both a sense of fervour and the pain of waiting for a loved one : eyes closed, her head resting on her hand, she hopes. It is a well-known fact that the work is rooted in the sculptor's intimate history. The facial features are inspired by the artist's first wife, Stéphanie Van Parys. The posture is similar to that of Cléopâtre in Sevastos en extase devant les divins hindous (London, British Museum) where Bourdelle took the young pupil who was to become his second wife.
Initially modelled on a small scale (42.5 cm.), boldly enlarged (240 cm.) in its final version, Pénélope has the fullness of a beautiful work of architecture. Everything serves to create an effect of "vital mass". Like the fluting in a Doric column, the tunic's folds cling to the voluptuous forms, conveying the amplitude of the volumes. With her arm's embrace, this figure closes herself in her own solitude - 'a soul that stands without falling’.
Jérôme Godeau (Musée Bourdelle website)
Artist:Emile Antoine Bourdelle (1861 - 1929)
Applied technique:Metalwork
Medium:Bronze
Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
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75008 Paris
France
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