Benoît Rougelet

Overall the condition of the marbles is very good, with minor dirt and wear to the surface consistent with age. There are few specks of dirt on both marbles. There are a few very small naturally occurring inclusions to the marbles. There is minor veining to the marbles consistent with the material, in particular to the Celebration, where there is a bluish vein running through the sleeping satyr's proper left shoulder. The marble appears to have been professionally cleaned. There are minor abrasions to the red marble bases.
"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."

Rougelet's frolicking Bacchic putti evoke the exuberance and hedonism of the belle époque period in France. Their amusing, carefree, and often drunken, protagonists hark back to the French 18th-century sculpture of Clodion and Marin, whilst also recalling the then recently discovered comic paintings of cherubs from Pompeii. These beautifully carved groups form a pair, and are distinguished by their attractive red marble bases with gilt mounts. The Barbedienne inscription denotes that the marbles were retailed by the famous foundry. Other known examples are inscribed 'Boudet' for Maison Boudet another prominent 19th-century Parisian retailer of sculpture, who operated at 43 Boulevard des Capucines from 1886 and at 8 Place Vendôme from 1908 until the outbreak of the First World War. It was not uncommon for retailers to inscribe their names on works they were selling; the lifesize marble La Frileuse by Carpeaux sold in these rooms on 17 May 2011, lot 45 (sold for £265,250), was inscribed: 'Boudet Paris'.

Benoît Rougelet was born in Tournous, a picturesque town in the Saône valley in Eastern France. Trained by his father and François-Joseph Duret (1729-1816), he first exhibited at the Paris Salon in 1876, receiving honorable mentions in 1887 and 1889. He was principally a sculptor of portraits, his statue of the celebrated painter Jean-Baptiste Greuze (1725-1805), another son of Tournus, stands in front of the town's hôtel de ville.

RELATED LITERATURE
E. Bénézit, Dictionnaire critique et documentaire des peintures sculptures dessinateurs et graveurs de tous les temps et de tous les pays par un group d'écrivains spécialistes français et étrangers, Paris, 1999, vol. 12, pp. 20-21