catalog text
FRANÇOIS LÈON SICARD
French, 1862-1934
"An Allegory of Victory"
Patinated bronze over marble on bronze plate | signed "F. Sicard", "1st Epreuve" and sealed with Thiébaut Frères Fumière et Cie foundry cachet
Item # 405PLW18E
An exceedingly fine example of the Winged Victory, Sicard models her here as an angel cradling in her arms a sword of justice, a branch of laurel with berries and leaves signifying peace and the long palm fronds associated with victory and eternal life: the triump of the spirit over death. Her contrapposto stance is in total motion, touching down weightlessly on the earth and moving forward with first steps. In her face is a fierceness, a total absence of fear and hesitation.
Edited by Thiébaut Frères Fumière et Cie in the 1920s, the model is further inscribed "1st Epreuve", importantly denoting it as being one of the first casts in this size. It is finished exquisitely with fine chiseling and texturing to the surface, a wonderful even medium-brown patination and an attractive pale green shaped marble base ove the original bronze plate.
An incredibly powerful presentation.
This model is also held in the permanent collection of Lyndhurst (acc. no. NT 64.25.996) and in The Arthur R. Metz Collection at the Indiana University Memorial Union Metz Suite (acc. no. Metz no. 663).
FRANÇOIS LÉON SICARD
Born in Tours, France on April 21st of 1864, Sicard studied in the workshop of Louis Ernest Barrias and also was pupil under Laurent. His career was definitively established in 1891 when he won the highly coveted Prix de Rome for his submission of Apollon chante au milieu des bergers (Apollo Sings among the Shepherds), which not only gave him great career exposure but also world-class training while he was a boarder at the Villa Medici in Rome from 1892 to 1895. After his return to Paris, demand for his work soared and he began exhibiting regularly at the Paris Salon. Here he received an honourable mention in 1887, in 1894 a second-class medal followed up by a first-class medal in 1897. He was approved for membership in The Société des Artistes Francaise in 1900 and won the highly important gold medal in the Exposition Universelle of 1900. He continued exhibiting at the Salon well into the 20th century, but importantly began receiving commissions for monumental works. Notable among these are The Good Samaritan, executed in marble for the Tuileries Garden, the monument to George Sand executed in stone for the Luxembourg Garden, the Archangel St. Michael Slaying the Dragon in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Montmartre, the Sarah Bernhardt monument in Place of Marshal Catroux, the Monument to Georges Clemenceau in Sainte-Hermine in the Vendée and the highly important Monument to the National Convention for the choir of the Pantheon of Paris among others. He was made a Chevalier of the Légion d'Honneur in 1910. He was elected to be a Member of the Academy of Fine Arts in 1930.
As the primary sculptor for George Clemenceau, many of his sculptures are held in the permanent collection of the Museum Clemenceau-de Lattre as well as the Museé d'Orsay among others.
Artist Listings & Bibliography:
- Bronzes of the 19th Century: A Dictionary of Sculptors, Pierre Kjellberg, 1994, p. 615-616
- E. Benezit Dictionary of Artists, Vol. XII, Gründ, 2006, p. 1154
- Academy Artlas: https://acad-artlas.huma-num.fr/items/show/1154
Measurements: 26 3/16" H (total); 23 3/4" H (bronze); 13" W x 6 1/4" D
Condition Report:
Sword pommel (a very careful refabrication based on historical images) replaced with some brightness to the patina of the raised edges; end of sword with slight inward bend; trace wear to the patina, this overall being rather well-preserved throughout. Carefully cleaned and sealed in conservator's wax in house. Stone with some discoloration and chipping. A fine presentation.