BRONZE SCULPTURE "THE SOWER OF IDEAS" BY ÉMILE LOUIS PICAULT (1833-1915)

Allegorical bronze sculpture with a brown patina representing "The Sower of Ideas." Signed: "E. PICAULT" and titled on the base: "Sower of Ideas by E. Picault, Mentioned at the Salon." Marked on the base, left: "Salon des Beaux-Arts." "The Sower of Ideas" is likely a reduced version of the bronze group that Picault exhibited at the Salon des Artistes Français in 1896 under the title "The Book." On the pages of the open book at his feet, one can read the following inscription: "To the four winds of heaven he sows ideas, seeds of the future. EP." A similar model is held at the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Chambéry. Emile Louis Picault (1833-1915), sculptor and medalist in Paris, was a student of the painter Royer. From 1863 onward, he regularly exhibited at the Salon, showing numerous allegorical, patriotic, and mythological subjects. His works are often accompanied by Latin or French maxims. Bibliography: Kjellberg, Pierre. Les Bronzes du XIXe siècle, Paris, Éditions de l'Amateur, 1989, pp. 542-544; Base Joconde, portal of the collections of French museums (http://www.culture.gouv.fr/public/mistral/joconde_fr). Period: Late 19th century, Circa: 1900. Dimensions: W: 30cm, D: 27cm, H: 62cm.