François-Xavier Lalanne

Galerie JGM, Paris

Private collection, Monaco

Acquired from the above by the present owner

Private collection, Germany

Les Lalanne à Trianon, exhibition catalogue, Château de Versailles, Versailles, 19 June – 7 November 2021, p. 68 for the model

This lot is sold with a certificate of authenticity from Claude Lalanne dated 19 March 2013.

Le Grand Chevreuil is an emblematic work by François-Xavier Lalanne, revealing both his poetic vision of nature and his surrealistic sense of humor, transforming the animal into a functional object. 

Our piece occupies an important place in Lalanne's body of work: here, the deer's flattened back becomes a plateau, turning the work into a sculptural console. The clean lines are reminiscent of the animal's silhouette, while its imposing size, noble posture and raised muzzle, as if on alert, captivate the eye and stimulate the imagination. 

In this example, the stylized, elegant form evokes both the majesty and the wild grace of the deer, in which the function of a piece of furniture is delicately integrated and becomes a work of art.