Lot 0025
Exceptional Rare Bronze Sculpture “LE SOMMELIER” by Emile Picault
Estimate: 6000-7000€
Émile Louis Picault (1833–1915)
“Le Sommelier” (The Wine Steward)
France, late 19th century
Patinated bronze, signed E. Picault
Height: 70 cm.
An exceptional and rare bronze sculpture by Émile Louis Picault, one of the most prolific and expressive French sculptors of the 19th century. Le Sommelier portrays a jovial wine steward, standing in a relaxed pose with a basket of bottles at his feet — a masterful celebration of craftsmanship, hospitality, and the human spirit.
Rendered with Picault’s characteristic attention to anatomical precision and expressive gesture, the figure combines naturalistic observation with a subtle sense of narrative humor. The folds of the clothing, the lively expression, and the casual stance capture the charm of everyday life, elevating a humble profession into an emblem of pride and artistry.
Émile Louis Picault, trained in Paris and active from 1863, achieved international acclaim for his allegorical, patriotic, and mythological subjects. Over the course of his long career, he produced more than 500 models, many of which were exhibited at the Paris Salon. His works are represented in several French museum collections, including Chambéry, Clermont-Ferrand, Maubeuge, and Troyes.”
Starting price: 5000€
Estimate: 6000-7000€
Hammer Price: UNSOLD€
Related Lots
-
Lot 0024
Bronze Figure of Vercingetorix Triumphant Against the Romans by Henryk KOSSOWSKI II (1855-1921)
Estimate: 2500-3000€
Lot 0024
Bronze Figure of Vercingetorix Triumphant Against the Romans by Henryk KOSSOWSKI II (1855-1921)
Estimate: 2500-3000€Henryk Kossowski II (1855–1921)
Vercingetorix Triumphant Against the Romans
France (or Poland–France), late 19th century
Patinated bronze, signed on the base
Height: 79.5 cmThis powerful bronze by Henryk Kossowski II depicts Vercingetorix, the Gallic chieftain celebrated for his defiant stand against Julius Caesar during the Gallic Wars (52 BCE). Captured in a moment of victorious exaltation, the figure raises his sword to the sky, his shield and discarded Roman helmet at his feet symbolizing courage, rebellion, and national pride.
Kossowski renders the warrior’s anatomy with exceptional vitality, combining Romantic expressiveness with the academic precision characteristic of late 19th-century sculpture. The dynamic upward gesture and intense facial expression evoke the ideals of liberty and sacrifice, themes deeply resonant in the national art of occupied Poland and in French historical imagination alike.
Born in Poland, Henryk Kossowski II worked extensively in Paris, where he exhibited at the Salon des Artistes Français from 1877. His oeuvre includes religious, allegorical, and historical subjects, often blending dramatic movement with refined naturalism.
Starting price: 2000€
Estimate: 2500-3000€
Hammer Price: UNSOLD€ -
Lot 0027
Bronze Sculpture of a d’Artagnan Musketeer in Full Human Growth
Estimate: 6000-8000€
Lot 0027
Bronze Sculpture of a d’Artagnan Musketeer in Full Human Growth
Estimate: 6000-8000€Bronze sculpture of a d’Artagnan musketeer in full human growth. Very detailed and well made.
Great for home or garden decoration or restaurant decoration.
20th century.
The similar in Netherlands, Maastricht: statue of Netherlands, Maastricht: statue of d’Artagnan, known as d’Artagnan.
https://maastrichtvestingstad.nl/en/ontdek/dartagnan/Figure height: 175 cm.
Weight approx: 80-100 kg.Starting price: 5000€
Estimate: 6000-8000€
Hammer Price: UNSOLD€ -
Lot 0023
Paul Dubois. Bronze Sculpture “Le courage militaire”
Estimate: 2500-3000€
Lot 0023
Paul Dubois. Bronze Sculpture “Le courage militaire”
Estimate: 2500-3000€Paul Dubois (1829–1905)
“Le Courage Militaire” (Military Courage)
France, circa 1880
Patinated bronze, signed “F. Barbedienne, Fondeur”
Height: 38 cmThis exceptional bronze, cast by the renowned Barbedienne Foundry, represents “Le Courage Militaire” (Military Courage) — one of the four allegorical figures created by Paul Dubois for the cenotaph of General Juchault de La Moricière in the Cathedral of Nantes.
Depicted as a seated Roman warrior, the figure embodies noble restraint and strength through a masterful synthesis of naturalism and classical idealization. The serene dignity of the soldier’s pose and the finely rendered drapery are hallmarks of Dubois’s distinctive “Neo-Florentine” style, blending Renaissance influence with French academic sculpture of the 19th century.
Paul Dubois, both a sculptor and painter, studied in Rome and gained prominence with his Saint John the Baptist (1861), exhibited at the Paris Salon. His refined, spiritual approach to allegorical subjects earned him widespread acclaim, including médaille d’honneur at the Salon des Beaux-Arts in 1865 and 1876.
Dubois’s works — including Military Courage, Faith, Charity, and Meditation — are represented in leading French institutions such as the Musée d’Orsay and the Musée Camille Claudel in Nogent-sur-Seine
Starting price: 2000€
Estimate: 2500-3000€
Hammer Price: UNSOLD€ -
Lot 0026
Marcel Début. Bronze Sculpture “Robinson with Dog”
Estimate: 4000-5000€
Lot 0026
Marcel Début. Bronze Sculpture “Robinson with Dog”
Estimate: 4000-5000€Standing Robinson with Dog, France, circa 1900, Marcel Début (French, born 1865)
Burnished bronze
Signed MARCEL DEBUT
Height: 80 cmA finely modeled bronze sculpture depicting a standing figure of Robinson, dressed in a short fur garment and holding a staff and axe, accompanied by a large dog beside him. The composition rests upon a naturalistic, rock-like base, showcasing Début’s remarkable skill in anatomical detail and texture. This work reflects the artist’s academic training and the late 19th-century French fascination with adventure and heroism.
Starting price: 3500€
Estimate: 4000-5000€
Hammer Price: UNSOLD€