catalog text
FRANCOIS AUGUSTE HIPPOLYTE PEYROL (FRENCH, 1856-1929)
A model of a laborer studying a book, signed “H. Peyrol” on base, impressed “PEYROL” on edge of octagonal base
Item # 602XPZ29Q
This is such a moving piece, a captured moment of labor working to improve his lot. The young man appears to be either a foundry worker or miner in his early twenties, taking a mid-day break with his shovel sunk into the hard soil while he reads through the worn pages of the small book in hand. The patina is complex, a variation of nearly blackened acid patination, dark browns and rubbed highlights of a warmer bronze. The surface is perfectly cast, the skin and garment flawless and without even a hint of surface pitting; the features are perfectly chased and filed, his face particularly sharp and crisp while the rest of the sculpture borrows a gentle impressionism. He stands over a naturalistic base signed at the front left corner “H. Peyrol”, while the edge of the base has a faint and very tiny stamp of “Peyrol”.
Literature and References: “Bronzes of the Nineteenth Century, Dictionary of Sculptors”, Kjellberg, p. 662, p. 541; “E. Benezit Dictionary of Artists”, Gründ, vol. X, p. 1294;
Measurements: 15 1/2” H x 5 3/8” D x 5 3/8” W
Condition Report:
Exceptional condition - light patina loss to right forearm, left wrist and hand, very minor wear to left knee and shaft of shovel. Other very light handling wear to the original patina, this preserved under wax with a gorgeous glowing finish.