Aimé-Jules Dalou French, 1838-1902

This bronze exhibits surface dirt, wear to patina and scratches consistent with age. Otherwise in good condition.
"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."

This bronze is taken from a sketch model for Dalou's Brodeuse which he exhibited as a life-size plaster at the Salon of 1870. Hunisak considered that the Brodeuse was seminal in Dalou's oeuvre for raising a genre subject to monumental sculpture.

The composition is full of beautifully observed informal detail. As Hunisak noted, perhaps the most charming motif 'is the sense of tension created by her hands, which implies the presence of a non-existent thread.' Gautier, a contemporary critic, wrote that she possessed '...in the naïveté of her attitude, in the straightforwardness of her features, in the purity of her forms, a penetrating attractiveness.'

A plaster version of this sketch is in the Petit Palais, Paris.

RELATED LITERATURE:
T. Gautier, Feutilleton...République Francaise, August 8, 1870; Hunisak, pp.53-68