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. Berto
This 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€
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