Diego Giacometti

Comte Gianni Barresi & Fulvio Barresi, Italy (acquired directly from the artist)
Thence by descent 

Michel Butor, Diego Giacometti, Paris, 1985, illustration of another example p. 127
Daniel Marchesseau, Diego Giacometti, Paris, 1986, illustrations of another example pp. 93 & 177
Françoise Francisci, Diego Giacometti, Catalogue de l'oeuvre, vol. I, Paris, 1986, illustration of another example p. 15

The table has a green/light brown patina. The work is in good original condition, with minor scuffs and rubbing to the patina consistent with age. There is some plaster residue in 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.
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.

Diego Giacometti first began using animal imagery in his work around 1935, perhaps an inevitability given his upbringing on the family farm in the rugged, alpine region of Bregaglia in Switzerland. In time the artist combined both the quotidian animal forms of the cats, dogs and horses seen in surrounding villages with the wilder elements of owls, deer and wolves in the mountains, weaving a fantastical and dreamlike world in bronze.

He tirelessly modeled in clay to portray the essence of each animal, later combining the separate elements in bronze to create often humorous and always very engaging tableaux of implied or imagined narrative. The abstracted elements of the artist's work also retain natural elements, for example the joins of crossbars can have a vine-like quality and the structural components of his furniture usually feature a wonderfully organic surface texture.

In an interview with Patricia de Beauvais, the artist explained the origin of the Promenade des amis motif, seen here in a form of a console table: "It was for a client who organized auctions to benefit animal rights. So I thought of this, La Promenade des amis: a horse with three little dogs, one of which ‘waters’ the tree, another who sniffs him. I had one client ask me to remove it. It bothered her, but dogs, they are all the same, I told her” (translated from the French, quoted in Christian Boutonnet & Rafael Ortiz, Diego Giacometti, Paris, 2003, p. 95).

Fig. 1 Diego Giacometti in his studio
Fig. 2 Diego Giacometti, Table aux personnages, circa 1976, bronze, sold: Sotheby's, New York, November 15, 2016 for $3,837,500