Jean-Jacques, called James Pradier

The condition is very good overall with minor dirt and wear to the surface consistent with age. There is a little dark spotting to the patina. There is a lacuna between the buttocks and an original plug in the proper right hip. There are a few nicks and some dirt to some of the crevices.
"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 rare bronze statuette epitomises Pradier's unique ability to combine a façade of the antique with contemporary titillation. The sculptor Auguste Préault even quipped that, 'Every morning... [Pradier] sets out for Athens and arrives in the evening at the quartier Bréda [a notorious red-light district of Paris].' In the present model, the viewer encounters the famous Callipygian Venus of antiquity, sensually enhanced to show a Parisian courtesan undressing, with her plump form and uninhibited manner more appropriate to the peep show than a Greek temple. The rare addition of handles to the urn in the present cast adds a further layer of classicising respectability to this sensual scene.

RELATED LITERATURE
C. Lapaire, James Pradier (1790-1852) et la sculpture française de la génération romantique. Catalogue Raisonné, Milan and Lausanne, 2010, no. 131, pp. 292-3; C. Lapaire and J. Gaborit, Statues de chair. Sculptures de James Pradier, exh. cat., Musée d'art et d'histoire, Geneva, 1986, no.77, p. 268; P. Fusco and H. W. Janson, Romantics to Rodin. French Nineteenth-Century Sculpture from North American Collections, exh. cat. Los Angeles County Museum of Art in association with George Braziller Inc., Los Angeles, 1980, p. 313