Lot 0009
Bronze Sculpture of “Don César De Bazan” by Emile PICAULT (1833-1915)
Estimate: 5000-6000€
Émile Louis Picault (1833–1915)
Don César de Bazan
France, late 19th century
Bronze with double patina, signed “E. Picault”
Height: 86 cm.
This dynamic bronze sculpture by Émile Louis Picault portrays Don César de Bazan, the dashing nobleman and soldier from the 1872 opera Don César de Bazan by Jules Massenet, a character also found in Victor Hugo’s play Ruy Blas. Picault captures the quintessential romantic hero — bold, proud, and slightly defiant — frozen mid-gesture with sword in hand and cloak flowing in motion. The piece reflects the artist’s fascination with themes of honor, individuality, and chivalric elegance.
Executed with a double patina, the sculpture demonstrates Picault’s technical virtuosity in bronze casting, contrasting warm and dark tones to emphasize both the richness of costume and the expressiveness of the figure’s face.
Émile Louis Picault, born in Paris in 1833, was among the most prolific sculptors of the 19th century, creating over 500 models throughout his long career. A frequent exhibitor at the Salon des Beaux-Arts from 1863 onward, Picault specialized in allegorical, patriotic, and mythological subjects. His works, notable for their meticulous detail and vitality, exemplify the moral and aesthetic ideals of the Belle Époque.
Starting price: 4000€
Estimate: 5000-6000€
Hammer Price: UNSOLD€
Related Lots
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Lot 0010
Evgeny Lanceray. Pair of Russian Bronze Candlesticks
Estimate: 1000-1500€
Lot 0010
Evgeny Lanceray. Pair of Russian Bronze Candlesticks
Estimate: 1000-1500€Evgeny Lanceray. Ice Cream Vendor and Fish Seller (from the series of Russian Types)
Bronze candlesticks. Dimensions: H. 19.5 cm and 18.5 cm
Russia, late 19th centuryThese two bronze candlesticks depict lively figures of a fish seller and an ice cream vendor, part of Evgeny Lanceray’s celebrated series of Russian tipazhi (types). Each figure balances a tub on his head, transformed into a functional candleholder.
The candlesticks originally belonged to a larger desk set created in the mid-1870s, consisting of around thirty small figures that served as match holders, ashtrays, candlesticks, a bell, a paper press, and other objects. Thematically, the set reflects the broader trend of Russian art at the time—its fascination with folk life and everyday characters. The artistic roots of this approach go back to the famous 1817 publication The Magic Lantern, or a Display of St. Petersburg Street Vendors, Artisans and Other Common Tradesmen, Depicted True to Life in Their Dress and Shown in Conversation.
The desk set was repeatedly cast at the F. Chopin foundry in St. Petersburg. While a complete example has not survived, individual pieces are now preserved in the collections of the State Historical Museum (Moscow) and the State Russian Museum (St. Petersburg). For further reference see: L. N. Goncharova, Russian Artistic Bronze of the 19th Century, Moscow, 2001, pp. 67–68, 112.
Starting price: 800€
Estimate: 1000-1500€
Hammer Price: 1300€ -
Lot 0008
Russian Bronze Composition by Vasiliy Grachev
Estimate: 6000-8000€
Lot 0008
Russian Bronze Composition by Vasiliy Grachev
Estimate: 6000-8000€Vasily Grachev. Peasants’ Sleigh on the Winter Road
Bronze, 17 × 33.5 × 17 cm
Cast by C. Woerffel Foundry, St. Petersburg
Late 19th centuryThis rare bronze composition by Vasily Grachev depicts a lively winter scene of peasants riding a sleigh along a rugged road. The dynamic pose of the horse, the expressive gestures of the driver, and the detailed rendering of clothing and sleigh bring to life the rhythm of rural Russia in the 19th century. Grachev often collaborated with the renowned Woerffel foundry in St. Petersburg, whose fine castings helped preserve the precision and vitality of his models.
Vasily Grachev (1831–1905):
Born into a family of state peasants, Grachev was apprenticed as a boy to the court craftsman Andreev in St. Petersburg, where he trained in chasing for six years. He later worked for prominent silversmiths, including I. S. Sazikov. Sculpture became his true vocation, though he pursued it largely as a self-taught artist.Grachev created wax models for major Russian manufacturers such as C. F. Woerffel, P. A. Ovchinnikov, and I. P. Khlebnikov, whose workshops produced his works in both bronze and silver. In 1885 he established his own studio in St. Petersburg. That same year he exhibited at the Artistic and Industrial Exhibition in the city, where his composition At the Watering Place was awarded a silver medal.
Starting price: 4000€
Estimate: 6000-8000€
Hammer Price: UNSOLD€ -
Lot 0007
Huge Bronze St. George Slaying the Dragon Signed by the Artist “Emile Picault
Estimate: 6000-7000€
Lot 0007
Huge Bronze St. George Slaying the Dragon Signed by the Artist “Emile Picault
Estimate: 6000-7000€Émile Louis Picault (1833–1915)
St. George Slaying the Dragon
France, late 19th century
Bronze, signed “E. Picault”
Height: 78 cmThis monumental bronze by Émile Louis Picault depicts St. George, the Christian knight and dragon-slayer, standing triumphantly over the defeated beast. The sculpture captures the hero at rest after battle — his pose calm and resolute, his gaze lowered in quiet reflection. The finely rendered armor, detailed sword, and naturalistic anatomy reveal Picault’s exceptional skill in modeling bronze with both strength and grace.
A leading figure of 19th-century French sculpture, Picault was renowned for his allegorical and patriotic subjects as well as mythological heroes. Trained in Paris, he began exhibiting at the Salon des Beaux-Arts in 1863 and went on to produce more than 500 models during his prolific career. His works often explored virtues such as courage, honor, and diligence, rendered with expressive energy and precise craftsmanship.
Examples of his work can be found in major French museums, including:
Chambéry (Le Semeur d’idées, 45 cm)
Clermont-Ferrand (Hébé, 93 cm)
Maubeuge (Le Devoir, Honor Patria, 45 cm)
Troyes (La Famille, joies et peines)
Starting price: 5000€
Estimate: 6000-7000€
Hammer Price: UNSOLD€ -
Lot 0011
Evgeny Lanceray. “Peasant Woman with Cattle and Dog”
Estimate: 10000-12000€
Lot 0011
Evgeny Lanceray. “Peasant Woman with Cattle and Dog”
Estimate: 10000-12000€Evgeny Lanceray. Peasant Woman with Cattle and Dog
Model 1873
Bronze, casting, assembly, patination
27.5 × 26 × 23.5 cm
Petersburg, late 19th – early 20th century
Signature along the base: “E. Lanceray”, cast by C. BertoThis rare bronze group, created by Evgeny Lanceray in 1873, portrays a peasant woman guiding cattle, accompanied by a dog. It combines lively movement with careful attention to costume and detail, reflecting Lanceray’s interest in everyday Russian life and ethnographic themes.
Evgeny Alexandrovich Lanceray (1848–1886)
Born in Morshansk, Tambov province, into a French family that had settled in Russia, Lanceray was the son of a railway engineer. He studied law at St. Petersburg University but received no formal artistic training, instead learning sculpture independently and working from life. He visited workshops of established sculptors, including Nikolai Liberich, and undertook study trips to Paris in 1867 and 1876, where he studied bronze casting and became acquainted with European art.Lanceray traveled widely across Russia, Ukraine, the Caucasus, the Crimea, Bashkiria, and Kyrgyz lands, and in 1883 visited Algeria. His wax models, later cast in bronze, gained great popularity. Many of his works carried strong national, historical, or ethnographic character, and he also created pieces devoted to the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878. In addition, he designed table services and desk sets.
In 1869 he was awarded the title of “Class Artist, 2nd degree” by the Imperial Academy of Arts, and in 1872 achieved the 1st degree. In 1874 he became an honorary free associate of the Academy, and from 1879 he was a member of the Moscow Society of Art Lovers.
A master of narrative plastic miniatures, Lanceray brought international recognition to Russian sculpture. His works were shown at the World’s Fairs in London (1872), Vienna (1873), Paris (1873), Antwerp (1885), and other cities. His bronzes were cast at all major Russian foundries and by private firms such as Chopin, Stange, Moran, and Berto, as well as at Ural ironworks. Today his works are preserved in the State Russian Museum, the Tretyakov Gallery, and other major collections. Karl Berto (Charles Auguste Bertault) Foundry. Studied under Barbedienne, Paris.
Period: 1889 – 1903.
In 1889 – 1890 the products were marked as Chopin & Berto.
Felix Chopin’s foundry has been passed over to Karl Berto in around 1890.
Starting price: 8000€
Estimate: 10000-12000€
Hammer Price: 12000€