fabius frères dossier de presse(english) oct11

8/6/2019 Fabius Frres Dossier de Presse(English) Oct11

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in association withThe Fabius Frres collection

Press Release Paris


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The Fabius Frres Gallery collection

Sothebys is pleased to announce, in association with the auction house PIASA,the sale of the Fabius Frres Gallery collection on the 26th and 27th October 2011 in Paris. The 400 sculptures, pieces of furniture, works of art, drawings and 19th century paintings,

estimated to sell in the region of 10 million ($14,5 million), will be on view at the GalerieCharpentier for ve days prior to the sale. The Fabius Frres Gallery is known worldwide for the exceptional quality, condition and provenance of the works of art in their collection.


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Franois Fabius (1944-2006)

Franois Fabius was born in Bourg-en-Bresse in 1944. His father belonged to a great antique-dealing dynasty; his mother was a keen equestrian. Franois would inherit his mothers love of horses and his fathers passion for antiques. He was man of conviction,

and excelled in both elds.

This family background led him rst into the showjumping arena. Franois was precociously talented, become French Junior Champion in 1961, then the Champion of France in 1962,and went on to represent France at the Munich Olympics in 1972. It was through equestrianismthat he met his future wife, Armelle, in Canada in 1968; they married in 1971 and had twodaughters, Sophie and Marie.

Although his show-jumping successes were a source of great satisfaction, Franois felt his long-term future lay elsewhere. At the age of 28, this graduate of the Ecole du Louvre decided to give up show-jumping and concentrate on his vocation in the eld of art.

In 1972 he joined the Paris antiques gallery directed since 1937 by his father Andr and unclesPierre and Fernand, at 152 Boulevard Haussmann. Franois began as a trainee under his fatherseye, gradually nding his feet. He was following in the steps of his grandfather Elie; Francoishailed from a great line of antiques dealers. The family (originally from Lorraine) had successfully embraced the profession since 1882. Elie Fabius founded one of the most prestigious art galleriesin Paris, and was one of the leading gures on the art market from 1882-1942. His passionsincluded souvenirs of Napoleon and Lafayette, objects with historic provenance, and sculpturesby Barye and Carpeaux. He also helped found what would become the Syndicat National des Antiquaires (French National Antique Dealers Association) in 1901.

Franois Fabius inherited his grandfathers taste for 19th century works, especially bronzes

by Barye and Carpeaux. Like his brother Laurent and sister Catherine, he had grown upsurrounded by art since childhood, constantly furthering his knowledge to become an expertand professional of great renown. After his fathers death, in 1984, he continued to work withhis uncles and take part in international fairs. His stand at the 2004 Paris Biennale, designedby Franois-Joseph Graf, was one of the most spectacular at the fair, and showcased a very rarebronze Vase des Titans designed by Carrier-Belleuse and sculpted by Rodin.

Franois was an enlightened gallery-owner and a recognized specialist in the history of art, and especially in 19th century bronzes, continually seeking out these works and acquiring some outstanding examples. Most of these rigorously selected items can now be foundin leading collections and prominent museums in France and America. The 19th century su ered from a political judgement that condemned Napoleon III. You werent allowed

to talk about the period. Now, with the passing of another generation, one can at last re-appreciate the 19th century in all its opulence, as epitomized by the collections of the Rothschilds, Pereires and Princess Mathilde, declared Franois Fabius. He delighted in presenting pieces from this under-estimated period, whose popularity he helped rekindle with such brio, developing a branch within his gallery, which contributed to the expansion and international reputation of Fabius Frres.

Since his premature death in August 2006, Armelle Fabius has pursued his work withan enthusiasm worthy of this great antique-dealer dynasty.

With the passing of Franois Fabius we lose [...] one of those exceptional gures destined to embody, at the highest level, the perfect balance of mind and body, and the all too rare balance of classical art and that other, no less noble art, equestrianism []. Few men in history have managed to develop their passion to such a radiant level, with such elegance, courage and rigour, while remaining sensitive and attentive to the signals of their time.H omage to F ranois F abius : r enaud d onnedieu de V abres , 14 a ugust 2006


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A unique collection

The Fabius Frres collection is undoubtedly the most important ensemble of 19th century sculpture ever to be o ered at auction. It consists predominantly of works by the most original and signi cant sculptors of the period: AntoineLouis Barye (17951875) and JeanBaptiste Carpeaux (182775).

Carpeauxs important marble group Daphnis & Chloeis a sculptural masterpiece. It was madein 1874 during the sculptors twoyear stay in England, where he took refuge in the turbulentaftermath of the Paris Commune. Alexander Hugh Baring, 4th Baron Ashburton, commissionedCarpeaux to make this large mythological marble group in 1873. It illustrates a passage fromLongus idyll Daphnis & Chloeand was made as a pendant to Canovas famous marbleCupid & Psyche(now in the Louvre), which then adorned Lord Ashburtons London residenceat Bath House, in Piccadilly. Carpeaux began modelling the group in plaster in 1873. It was not until July 1874 that Carpeaux began sculpting the marble group. It was delivered

to Lord Ashburton on 8 January 1875.Daphnis & Chloe perfectly expresses Carpeauxs virtuoso talent for modelling form and sculpting marble: he brings the stone to life, combining graceful movement with thesensuality of his intimate subject (estimate 1,000,000-1,500,000 / $1,448,000-2,172,000).

The collection also includes an autograph plaster version of CarpeauxsUgolino & His Sons.Carpeaux chose the dramatic episode from Dantes Infernoas the subject for the large-scalecomposition he was required to make during his time as a student at Romes Villa Medici in 1860/1. It depicts the moment when Ugolino, condemned to death by starvation, resolves to devour his children (est 50,000-70,000 / $72,400-101,350)

Shortly after Carpeauxs return to Paris, the state commissioned a monumental bronze version of this subject which was exhibited at the Salon of 1863; it was subsequently installed in the Tuileries Gardens as a pendant to the monumental bronze of the Laocoonand is now in the Muse dOrsay. A full-size marble version, signed and dated Jbte Carpeaux Roma 1860, was made for the 1867 Exposition Universelle, and is now in the Metropolitan Museum,New York. More than six plaster and terracotta versions composed of three to ve gures exist in public collections, including a terracotta version in the Louvre.

In 1865, at the request of architect Charles Garnier (1825-98), Carpeaux produced his mostfamous monumental group for the faade of the Paris Opera. La Dansewas intended tocomplement three other allegorical sculptures: Lyrical Dramaby Jean-Joseph Perraud (181976); Musicby Eugene Guillaume (18221905); and Harmonyby Franois Jou roy (180682).The 2ft-high (61cm) autograph plaster model to be o ered here shows the composition at animportant point in its evolution: here the Genius of Dance is shown with feminine features; in the nal version, the Genius is depicted as a man (est. 80,000-120,000 / $115,850-173,750)

Carpeauxs marble bust Candour , was inspired by the features of his wife, Amelie de Montfort.It appeared in the Carpeaux sale on 29 April 1873, when it was bought by Madame Carpeaux herself. This exceptional bust is remarkable for its very sensitive modelling and delicateexpression (est. 100,000-150,000). The collection also includes the plaster model for the bust,made by Carpeaux in 1867 (est. 60,000-80,000 / $86,900-115,850).

Amelie was 22 at the time of their marriage in 1869, roughly half Carpeauxs age. She lenther features to several of Carpeaux works, notably Temperance, made for the church

of La Trinit in Paris in 1865; Hope(1868) an 1873 marble version of which appears in ourauction (est. 70,000-100,000 / $101,350-144,800) La Fiance(1869), represented by a terracotta version in the Fabius Frres collection (est. 40,000-60,000 / $57,900-86.900). Other busts of exceptional quality include LEspigle, a marble from 1865 (est. 70,000-100,000 / $101,350-144,800); and the plaster original of La Rieuse aux Rosesfrom 1872 (est. 50,000-70,000 / $72,400 -101,350).


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AntoineLouis Barye, is represented by 51 bronzes, all cast during his lifetime. One of the highlights is Theseus and The Minotaur , a seminal version in bronze with attractivebrown patina, stamped Barye and numbered 2. This superb cast belonged to Antoine-MariedOrlans, Duc de Montpensier, the Infante of Spain (182490), before entering the collections of the King of Portugal (est. 200,000-300,000 / $289,600-434,400).

Barye illustrates the story of Theseus and the Minotaur from Ovids Metamorphoses, a combatsymbolizing the battle between Good and Evil. It is a virtuoso rendering of a key moment during this epic confrontation, with the tense, muscular gure of Theseus carefully aiming his swordat the Minotaur. Variants can be found in the Baltimore Museum of Art (U.S.A.) and the MuseBonnat in Bayonne (southwest France).

Another Barye masterpiece in the Fabius Frres Collection is his Charging Elephant , a unique work cast in 1832 by Honor Gonon & Sons. This was the rst major work by Barye to becollected by a member of the ruling House of Orlans. It was acquired by the Duke of Nemoursand lent by him to the Salon of 1834 (est. 300,000-500,000 / $434,400-724,000).

Elephant Crushing a Tiger hails from the David Weill Collection. This is the chef-modlecastin Baryes own foundry and is a classic example of Baryes concern for detail (est. 150,000-250,000 / $217,200-362,000 ).

The collection also includes an extremely ne cast of Tiger Devouring a Gavial from circa 1845(est. 50,000-70,000 / $72,400 -101,350). At the Salon of 1831 the plaster model enjoyedunanimous acclaim from the critics and partisans of both of Academic art and Romanticism. Its audacious depiction of the subject demonstrates Baryes vivid imagination and his ability to observe, and transcend, the violence of the animal kingdom.

The sales furniture combines 18th century neo-classicism with 19th century exuberance. The sale includes magni cent neo-classical furniture, dating from Louis XIV to the FirstEmpire. Fabius Frres were advocates of 19th century furniture and that century is representedbt works by eminent cabinet-makers such as Groh and Diehl, as well as Du ns unusual neo-Renaissance furniture.

The sale includes a Louis XIV ormolu-mounted kingwood- and palissander-veneered commodeattributed Andr-Charles Boulle (c.1710). With its decoration of skilful frieze-work and sumptuous, original gilt-bronze mounts, this counts as one of Boulles most accomplished commode designs. The sober patterning of alternating concentric motifs to the front-drawers, and heart-shapedmotifs to the top and sides, is a departure from the exuberant oral marquetry for which Boulleis best known. The virtuoso stringing and end-cut marquetry lend the veneer a pictorial feel, while the stringing in ebony and light wood around each drawer heightens the impressionof relief and creates an illusion of depth (est. 300,000-500,000 / $434,400-724,000).

Sumptuous gilt-bronze mounts, typical of Boulle, underline the commodes powerful architecture.he commode, which seems borne aloft by generous scrolls of acanthus leaves, was designed with

ve feet: an aesthetic, rather than technical, solution, as shown by a preparatory Boulle drawing now in the Paris Muse des Arts Dcoratifs.

Two Svres porcelain Medici vases from 1811 epitomise Napoleonic prestige and the genius of Alexandre Brongniart, who helped give the Svres factory a new lease of life at the start of the 19th century. They are of outstanding interest due to their exceptional production quality,rare subject-matter, historic interest, virtuoso tortoiseshell grounds, powerful gold ornament andprestigious provenance (est. 500,000-800,000 / $724,000-1.158.450).


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The scenes painted by JeanFranois Robert on these tortoiseshell-ground Medici vases areparticularly accomplished. Although some less prestigious ceramics show the imperial family at leisure or at their various homes, such scenes seldom appear on vases which were usually decorated with o cial portraits, military subjects or allegorical scenes. It was doubtlessBrongniart who, with an eye on Napoleons political Public Relations, chose the subjects forthese vases, cleverly exploiting Svres latest technical innovations and Roberts outstanding talent as a gure- and landscape-painter.

One vase shows Napoleon in a carriage with MarieLouise, in front of the Palace of St-Cloud, where their civil marriage had taken place a few months earlier. The other vase shows Napoleonon a grey horse in the hills of Bellevue/ Meudon, about to go hunting. He is anked by four talldignitaries in the gold-trimmed green uniforms of the Imperial Hunt sporting the star of theLgion dHonneur.

Tortoiseshell grounds rst appeared at Svres in 1790. They were used in 1800 on the Cordelier vases (now in the Louvre) supplied for the Palace of St-Clouds Gallery of Apollo in 1802; andthen in 1803 for Napoleons Service Ecaille at the Tuileries Palace (two plates from this serviceare now in the Palace of Fontainebleau).

An ebonized and ebony-veneered Louis XVI secrtaire abattant with oral marquetry,stamped C.Topino, was originally part of an ensemble (along with commode and table)commissioned by the Duc de Lorges in the late 18th century (est. 80,000-120,000 / $115,850-173,750). With its stylish decoration of bands of grey wood and owers (as thecontemporary description had it), this secretaire is unusual in Topinos uvre, which issometimes mistakenly thought to concern little more bonheurs du jour (ladies writing desks) with marquetry featuring everyday utensils.

The secretaire was part of a three piece an ensemble owned by Louis de Durfort Civrac,Duc de Lorges. After his death in 1775 in his Paris town-house on Rue de Svres, the ensemble was inherited rst by his widow, then by their son-in-law, Renaud Csar de Choiseul-Praslin. The three-piece ensemble was doubtless considered of purely domestic use, as it survived the French Revolution intact and was mentioned in 1808, when it was brought back to Parisfrom St-Germain-en-Laye after the death of Guyonne de Lorges, Dowager Duchess of Choiseul-Praslin. The table, adorned with the CL monogram of Civrac de Lorges, was sold at SothebysParis (Lon Lvy Collection) on 2 October 2008; the commode is currently in a private collection.

Glass and ceramics hold pride of place amongst the sales decorative arts with numerous piecesof richly varied design. Highlights include striking, re ned works by Thodore Deck, EugneCollinot, Maurice Marinot and others.

The Fabius Collection also features a fascinating group of 19th century drawings and o ersconnoisseurs a rare opportunity to acquire works on paper by the sculptors Antoine-Louis Barye and Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux. There will be two Barye watercolours, Lioness Devouring a Gazelle and Study of a Panther Attacking its Prey (est. 30,000-40,000 / $43,400-57,900apiece); and several portraits by JeanBaptiste Carpeaux, including his Portrait of Bruno Chrier (est. 15,000-20,000 / $21,700-28,950).

A nal sale highlight is Jean Brauds A la Salle Gra ard, a spectacular canvas from 1884

showing a political meeting, with an anarchist orator ending his speech to triumphant acclaimfrom an audience shrouded in tobacco smoke. This is an unusual subject for Braud, re ecting a little-known aspect of his artistic output. Although best-known for his worldly portrayals of elegant females and scenes from the Belle Epoque, Braud also painted working-class scenesand episodes from everyday life, invariably imbued with a concern for historical accuracy (est. 350,000-500,000 / $506,800-724,000).


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Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux (1827-1875)

Ugolin et ses enfantsPlaster, signed, old print retouchedby the artist

50,000-70,000$72,400-101,350

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La Candeur,1873Marble bust, signed and dated,on a red marble base

100,000-150,000$144,800-217,200

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LEsprance,1873

White marble bust, signed and dated,on a red marble plinth

70,000-100,000$101,350-144,800

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Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux (1827 - 1875)

Daphnis et Chlo An exceptional marble of Daphnis et Chlo,signed and dated 1874 , on a painted woodenplinth

1,000,000-1,500,000$1.448,000-$2,172,000

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La Rieuse aux rosesLe Rieur aux pampresA pair of terra cotta busts, signed, the rstone numbered 2078 , the second one 2149

15,000-25,000$21,700-36,200

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An exceptionnal pair of Svres hard-paste

porcelain Mdicis vases, second size, paintedwith Napolon at Bellevue and Saint-Cloudon tortoise-shell ground, one dated1811 ,signed by Jean-Franois Robert

500,000-800,000$724,000-1,158,450

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An exceptionnal pair of Svreshard-paste porcelain Mdicis

vases, second size, painted with

Napolon at Bellevue and Saint-Cloud on tortoise-shell ground,one dated 1811, signed by Jean-

Franois Robert

estimate : 500,000-800,000 /$724,000-1,158,450


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Antoine-Louis Barye (1795-1875)

Tigre dvorant un gavial,vers 1845bronze, brown patina, signed, on a moul-ding black marble base

50,000-70,000$72,400-101,350

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Antoine-Louis Barye (1795-1875)

lphant crasant un tigre, chef-modleBronze, brown patina, on an oval wooden

base150,000-250,000

$217,200-362,200

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Jean Braud (1845-1935)

la salle Graffard Signed and dated 1884Oil on canvas

350,000-500,000$506,800-724,000

Sothebys / ArtDigital Studio


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Antoine Louis Barye (1795-1875)

Lion dvorant une gazelleSigned lower left and stamped with the redwax stamp at the reverse ; watercolour

30,000-40,000$43,400-57,900

Antoine Louis Barye (1795-1875)

tude de panthre attaquant une proieStamped with the Vildieu-Barye stamp(L.3631) lower right under the mount ;Watercolour an pencil on paper

30,000-40,000$43,400-57,900

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The Fabius Frres Gallery collection

Auction: Wednesday 26 and Thursday 27 October 2011Sothebys France - Galerie Charpentier76, rue du faubourg Saint-Honor 75008 Paris

A SELECTION OF THE SALE HIGHLIGHTS WILL BE EXHIBITED :

Monaco, Htel de Paris 4 August - 7 August 2011Sothebys Paris 10 September - 20 SeptemberHong Kong at Sothebys 30 September - 5 October 2011

T HE WHOLE COLLECTION WILL BE EXHIBITED :

Sothebys Paris 21 October - 25 October 2011

P RESS CONTACTS

Sothebys Paris PIASASophie Dufresne Isabelle de PuysegurTl. : +33 (0)1 53 05 53 66 Tl./fax : +33 (0)1 45 49 17 [email protected] [email protected]

n association wit

fabius frères dossier de presse(english) oct11

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