Circle of Guillaume Berthelot (c. 1580-1648) French, first half 17th century After the antique

Overall the condition of the bronze is very good. There is some minor wear and dirt to the surface consistent with age with a few minor scratches to the old lacquer patina. There are some areas which have been possibly been patched due to casting flaws, including the proper left knee of the figure. A few original circular pegs are slightly visible, including along the spine. There is a stable hairline fissure at the proper right elbow. The proper left arm was separately cast and attached at the shoulder. The shield is slightly loose.
"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."

The posthumous inventory of Guillaume Berthelot's possessions specifically records the presence of bronzes and wax models of the Borghese Gladiator and the Vatican Cleopatra. It is unsurprising that these, the only two small bronzes mentioned, were taken from celebrated Antique models. Berthelot had spent his early career in Rome where he had restored the antique marble statue of Narsissus in the Borghese collection. Returning to his native France in 1620, he was appointed Sculpteur Ordinaire to Marie de' Medici, for whom he worked at the Palais du Luxembourg, and later became the favoured sculptor of Richelieu, eventually winning the commission to design the Cardinal's tomb at the Sorbonne.

Berthelot may have studied the Gladiator whilst working for Cardinal Borghese on the Narsissus in the early 1600's. The Gladiator, which is today housed in the Louvre [inv. no. MR 224 ], is first recorded on 11 June 1611 and is known to have been installed in the Borghese collection by 1613 at the latest. It's fame spread rapidly; bronze casts are known to have been made by Hubert Le Sueur within twenty years of the discovery and a plaster cast was sent by Velázquez to Philip IV of Spain. A bronze version sold in these rooms in 2005 (8^th July 2005, lot. 59) and another in a private collection (see Leithe-Jasper and Wengraf, op.cit. no. 35, fig. 1, p. 298) are believed to date to the late 17^th century and have been attributed to Roger Schabol (active. 1680- after 1714.) The exceptional detailing in the present cast, including the delineation of the pupils and the modelling of the individual teeth, nevertheless draws comparison with a model of Diana the Huntress with a Leaping Stag attributed to Berthelot and now in the Grünes Gewölbe, Dresden [inv. no. IX.29].

RELATED LITERATURE
G. Bresc-Bautier, G. Scherf and J. D. Draper, Cast in Bronze, French Sculpture from Renaissance to Revolution, ex. cat. Paris, 2009, no. 43, pp. 62, 172-75; M. Leithe-Jasper and P. Wengraf, European Bronzes from the Quentin Collection, ex. cat. New York, 2004, no. 35, fig. 1, p. 298; F. Haskell and N. Penny, Taste and the Antique. The Lure of Classical Sculpture 1500-1900, New Haven and London, 1981, no. 43, pp. 221-24