Isidore-Jules Bonheur

Sotheby's London, 9 April 2003, lot 126

Overall the condition of the bronze is good with minor dirt and wear to the surface consistent with age. There is an old signature to the terrasse, which has been edited out. There are a few scratches to the terrasse. There is rubbing to some of the high points and to the jockey's thigh, where the whip has rubbed. There is a stable slightly visible joint at the base of the tail.
"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.
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The name Isidore-Jules Bonheur is synonymous with the great animalier school of sculptors of the late 19^th century, alongside Antoine-Louis Barye and Pierre-Jules Mêne. His elder sister Rosa (1822-1899), was equally well-known, both for her bronzes as well as her paintings, notably The Horse Fair in the Metropolitan Museum, New York. Of great significance to their sculpting careers, their young sister, Juliette (1830-1891), married the bronze founder Hippolyte Peyrol. Peyrol was a master caster and his foundry in Paris is rightly considered one of the finest of the period. He cast the best works by both Isidore and Rosa and these always bear the tiny PEYROLstamp, as can be found on the present work.

Amongst Bonheur’s wide variety of animal sculptures exhibited at the Salon, there were a number of mounted equestrian models, including three designs of jockey’s on horseback shown in 1864, 1879 and 1886. The most famous of these is Le Grand Jockey, of which the present cast is a rare, large and fine example. It shows a victorious jockey patting his horse on the neck in congratulation. First exhibited at the 1879 Salon in bronze, under the title ‘Un Jockey’, it was displayed alongside another equestrian group, Un cavalier, époque de Louis XV (nos. 4817 and 4816 respectively). The Salon entries reveal that at this time his atelier was ‘Chez M. Peyrol, rue de Crussol, 14’. Four years later, Bonheur and Peyrol had evidently realised the commercial potential of these models, for Bonheur exhibited them again at the Exposition Nationale des Beaux Arts of 1883 (nos. 893 and 894) and for a third time at the Exposition Universelle of 1889, when he was awarded the prestigious Medaille d’Or.

Variations on the theme of the Jockey include models in which the rider twists sideways looking behind the horse over his shoulder (Retour au Pesage), another shown jumping a hedge and others shown trotting, or where the rider looks straight ahead. They were all edited by Peyrol and were popular with the racing fraternity on both sides of the channel, for both Isidore and Rosa exhibited for a time at the Royal Academy.

Casts of Le Grand Jockey were edited in four different sizes and it is rare to find examples of this, the largest size, at 95cm. The details of the model are well chased throughout, as can be seen by closely inspecting the acutely observed individual veins, tendons and muscles as well as the rider’s jacket and the horse’s mane.

RELATED LITERATURE
S. Lami, Dictionnaire des sculpteurs de l’école française du XIX^e siècle, vol. 1, Paris, 1916, pp.127-130; J. Horswell, Les Animaliers, Woodbridge, 1971, p. 209; M. Forrest, Art Bronzes, Pennsylvania, 1988, p. 227