Émile-Antoine Bourdelle

Slatkin Gallery, New York (acquired circa 1960)
B. Gerald & Iris Cantor, New York
Acquired from the above circa 1980

Northampton, Massachusetts, Smith College Museum of Art, on loan from 1980 to 1985

Jacques A. Mithouard, Émile-Antoine Bourdelle, Paris, 1924, illustration of the larger version p. 9
André Fontainas, Bourdelle, Paris, 1930, no. 17, illustration of the larger version pl. 17
Paul Lorenz, Bourdelle, Sculptures et dessins, Paris, 1947, no. 25, illustration of another cast n.p.
Pierre Descargues, Bourdelle, Paris, 1954, illustration of the larger version p. 38
Ionel Jianou & Michel Dufet, Bourdelle, Paris, 1978, no. 400, p. 108
Carol M. Lavrillier & Michel Dufet, Bourdelle et la critique de son temps, Paris, 1979, illustration of the larger version pl. 20
Peter Cannon-Brookes, Émile-Antoine Bourdelle, London, 1983, illustrations of another cast pl. 89 & p. 62

This work is in very good condition. Features a modeled green and golden brown patina. A few pindots of accretion in the lower portion of the rock, and some very minor rubbing to the patina at the bottom of the sculpture, parallel to the figure's left foot, in the figure's hair and to rock by the figure's foot. Minor surface dirt in the deeper crevices. Otherwise fine.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Conceived in 1909, Héraklès Archer was inspired by the Greek myth of the Stymphalian birds; a tale of the sixth labor of Hercules in which he heroically drives away a flock of man-eating birds congregated at a lake near the town of Stymphalos in Arcadia. The model for this acclaimed sculpture was Commander Doyen Pargot, a cavalry officer with a demigod-like physique. Despite Pargot’s inherent strength, he was only able to hold the laborious pose for a few minutes at a time. He documented the duration of each session which totaled over nine hours before the sculpture’s completion. While the body of the archer resembles that of Pargot, the head is variations of Bourdelle’s earlier sculpture Tête d’Apollon. Conscientious of his image and career, Pargot insisted Bourdelle modify the head to conceal his identity.

The present work is the most celebrated composition of Bourdelle’s oeuvre and was critically acclaimed from the time of its first public presentation at the Salon de la Société National des Beaux-Arts in 1910. The French writer Charles Morice raves about this work in the Mercure de France from May 1, 1910 stating, “The unbelievably audacious movement of this archer balancing himself in mid-air, supported against the ridge of a rock, that human form that even appears to leap in its immobility, that summary, precise, full and vibrant modelling is one of the most prodigious endeavors of living art. Here realism borders on idealism. A model may have sat for this anatomy, but none could have given it this countenance or this movement. Bourdelle’s art marks the transition from the long period of enslavement by reality, which we have experienced, to the new, necessary phase in which the artist will review in his heart all the secrets of nature and reflect them in a creation more faithful to general truth and at the same time revealing his own persona, intimate truth” (Charle Morice, excerpt from L’Art de Bourdelle, Mercure de France, 1910, as quoted in Ionel Jianou & Michel Dufet, Bourdelle, Paris, 1978, pp. 28-29)