Theodore Joseph Napoleon Jacques

some surface discoloration, particularly on the figure's arms and legs; the arms cast separately and the joins are apparent.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

After successfully completing the École des Beaux-Arts and winning the coveted Prix de Rome in 1828, French sculptor Théodore Joseph Napoléon Jacques (1804-1876) chose to pursue his artistic fortunes in Russia, moving there in 1836.  Over the next twenty-five years, Jacques was awarded a number of important commissions for public monuments, including two large porphyry caryatids in the main vestibule of the Hermitage and the large statue of Peter I erected in Kronstadt on the island of Kotlin in 1842.  The offered lot is a sketch for a monumental bronze representing the riches carried by the River Neva.  The artist was able to complete very well-received bronze and plaster models before an 1843 fire in his studio destroyed most of his work. In addition to a plaster at the Russian Museum and a bronze at Alupka, its double-headed eagle missing, this is possibly the only remaining extant model.  See E.V. Karpova, "Unikalnyi proekt frantsuzskogo skulptora v sobranii Russkogo muzeia," Stranitsy istorii otechestvennogo istoriia 18, St Petersburg, 2011, pp. 168-175.