A Rare and Important Late 19th Century Over Life Size Bronze Torchere by J Coutan and Thiebaut Freres

$95,000

Jules-Félix Coutan

Modeled as a classically clad female musician holding a “turtle shell” lyre along her back and a six light candelabrum in her hand. This lot, a symbolic representation of Music, falls within his allegorical oeuvre and also clearly reflects his time at and interest in sculpture as decoration while director of the Sèvres factory.

Signed J Coutan and Thiebaut Freres Fumiere & Cie Srs Paris to the base.

Jules-Félix Coutan (1848-1939) enjoyed a distinguished career as a master sculptor and designer highlighted by numerous accolades. He studied under the renowned Pierre-Jules Cavelier at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris. In 1872, Coutan won the Prix de Rome and spent the next four years at the Académie de France. His brilliant debut at the Salon of 1876 won him the first class medal and solidified his reputation as a premier French sculptor. His significant contribution to the decoration of the 1889 Exposition Universelle earned Coutan a gold medal and the Grand Prix d’Honneur the following year for his monumental portico for the Sèvres Pavillion de la Manufacture Nationale. Known as a master of public statuary, Coutan executed his most prestigious works that can still be seen at the Bibliothèque Nationale, the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle in Paris and in New York’s Grand Central Station.

The Thiébaut Foundry (1844-1901) was one of the most important foundries of the Nineteenth Century casting monumental works such as the Gloria Victis by Mercie and the monument to the Defense de Paris by Barrias. The foundry was started by Charles Cyprien Thiébaut (1769-1830) and later passed on to his son, Charles Antoine Floréal (born 1794), who established the business on Rue du Faubourg-Saint-Denis under the name Theibaut St. In 1870, Victor Thiébaut left his enterprise to his three sons, who established the name Thiébaut Frères. The Foundry participated in a number of International Exhibitions and was to acquire an important international reputation.

Details
Height – 88 inches / 224cm
Width – 32 inches / 81cm
Lights – 6