15th-CENTURY FLORENTINE SINGER. PAUL DUBOIS, BARBEDIAN FOUNDER

A patinated bronze sculpture with a brown patina, signed and dated on the base: P. DUBOIS 1865. Mechanical reduction stamp A. COLLAS and foundry signature Ferdinand BARBEDIENNE. Influenced by his time in Italy, Paul Dubois (1827-1905) achieved immediate success with refined works inspired by the Italian Renaissance. It was in this style that he sculpted the Florentine Singer, which earned him the Medal of Honor at the 1865 Salon. The enthusiasm was immense, and the sculpture, one of the most popular of its time, was produced in various sizes by the publisher Barbedienne for nearly a century. The young boy's slender and elegant figure, the smooth, slender volumes of his legs, contrast with the extraordinarily precise depiction of the details of his clothing and accessories: shoelaces, folds from the breeches to the knees, buttons on the sleeves, strings and keys of the instrument, and the chiseling of his hair. The silvered bronze statue is housed in the Musée d'Orsay in Paris. The silver plating applied to the bronze further accentuates the precious nature of the work, blurring the lines between sculpture and goldsmithing. The first example was purchased by Princess Mathilde, who held one of the most brilliant artistic and literary salons during the Second Empire. 19th century, circa 1870. Dimensions: W: 23 cm, D: 20 cm, H: 63 cm.