French, Burgundy, second half 15th century

inscribed on the reverse: A. Laursday

with Edouard Bresset Antiquaires, Paris, 1991

Overall the condition of the stone is good with minor dirt and wear to the surface consistent with age. The blade of the sword is lost and there is a loss to the back of the hat. There are minor restorations, including to the thumb and index finger of the proper left hand and to some of the edges of drapery (e.g. at the proper left knee). There are some losses to the terrasse. There are some further smaller chips and abrasions, including to the drapery, edges of the hat, the back, and to the eyelids and nose. There is graffiti to the back (probably 17th century: Lausdas?)
"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."

From the Middle Ages onwards Saint Adrian was often represented with both an anvil and a lion as his attributes due to the confusion of Adrian of Nicomedia and Adrian of Caesarea. The first served as the head of the praetorium in the imperial city of Nicomedia, an ancient city in what is now Turkey, in the early 4^thcentury. One day twenty-eight Christians were captured following a decree by Emperor Maximian. Presiding over the faithful during their torture, Adrian became so impressed with the resilience of the group that he converted and asked the scribes present to include him in their execution. Consequently, the saint too defied the emperor upon torture and questioning. Eventually the saint was martyred on an anvil. It is from this account, which appears in the Golden Legend too, that the image of the patron saint of soldiers and arms dealers was largely taken. The lion, however, features only in the life of Adrian of Caesarea. He travelled from a land called Magentia to see the holy confessors in the city of Caesarea in 308 CE only to be apprehended at the gates by the henchmen of the governor and persecuted. Several days later, during the festival of the public Genius, Adrian was thrown in front of the lions. The beasts, however, would not attack him. In the end, only the pagans’ swords could deliver Adrian's martyrdom.

The basic composition of the present limestone carving was probably taken from an image in a 15^th-century manuscript with lives of the saints such as the grisaille in KB 76F2 in the Royal Library of the Netherlands which roughly dates to 1454. Adrian wears highly detailed armour, a flowing cape and a contemporary nobleman’s cap, raises his sword, carries an anvil, and symbolically overcomes the lion by placing his foot on it. The stout proportioning of the saint is typical of earlier Burgundian limestone carving, as are the softened features and contemplative gaze. See, for example, the series of saints in the church of Saint-Genès in Flavigny exhibited in Dijon in 1974 (op.cit.). The drapery that is pulled horizontally across the raised leg and texturing of the cape at the neck are much rarer, but can be seen in the stone statue of Mary Magdalen in the Church of Limeray sculpted circa 1480-1490 by an atelier influenced by the fashions in both Burgundy and the Languedoc. (Boccador, op.cit., p. 82, fig. 88)

RELATED LITERATURE

La sculpture bourguignonne en Auxois et en Autunois à la fin du XVe siècle, exh. cat. Musée de Dijon, 1974, nos. 54-57, pls. LIV-LIX;  J. Boccador, Statuaire médiévale en France de 1400 à 1530, Zoug, 1974, vol. II, p. 82, fig. 88