- 310
Constantin Cristesco Romanian, active 1900-1930
Description
- Constantin Cristesco
- Deux chevaux sautant un obstacle (Two horses jumping a fence)
- signed: Cristesco, inscribed Susse Fes Edts Paris with the SUSSE FRERES EDITEURS PARIS pastille and another indistinct pastille, probably that of the Syndicat des Bronzes
- bronze, dark brown patina
Catalogue Note
Constantin Cristesco was a Romanian sculptor of the same generation as Constantin Brâncusi. Like Brâncusi he made the journey to Paris where he studied under Victor Peter and Raoul Verlet. As a late animalier sculptor he understood the legacy of the great French masters such as Barye and Bonheur and retained their elegance, whilst working in a more modern style.
Cristesco exhibited at the Salon in 1908 with a bronze entitled Victimes and an equestrian plaster, his Chevaux du prince Ghika, in 1911. The previous lot, Cheval sautant l’obstacle, is Cristesco’s best-known model and is illustrated by Kjellberg and Mannoni. It is also known under the titles of Question d’amour propre and Cheval sautant un haie. Both the present lot and Cheval sautant demonstrate Cristesco’s highly animated style. The composition of Cheval sautant is at once dynamic and static as the solitary horse is raised entirely off the ground and fixed permanently in the fleeting moment, silhouetted against the stone wall. In the present model two horses appear to be competing with each other at a helter-skelter pace unrestrained by their riders.
RELATED LITERATURE
P. Kjellberg, p.229; Mannoni, p.66