catalog text
CHARLES KORSCHANN
Czech, 1872-1943
Putto Riding a Doe
Medium-brown patinated bronze over an original marble base | Signed "CH. KORRSCHANN." and sealed with foundry cachet for Louchet
Item # 301LCJ14L
A very fine lifetime casting of Charles Korschann's Putto Riding a Doe, the model is steeped in the elements of the Art Nouveau with a distinct celebration of the naturalistic. The putto grasps a simple harp in his hand while a loose garment bound in a belt encircling his waist billows in the unseen wind. The doe looks on with disinterest, unconcerned about its surroundings and almost at one with its rider. It is a carefully composed idealization of the natural world and the potential for harmony between man and beast. The casting is exquisite, typical of work from Louchet, and is finished in a medium-brown translucent patina.
Charles Korschann
Born in Brno, Monrovia in 1872 as Charles Korschmann, later dropping the "m" to appear less Germanic, he studied at the fine arts academies of Vienna, Berlin and Paris before finally establishing himself in Paris in 1894. He spent his entire career working in Paris, exhibiting at the 1900 Exposition Universelle where he was awarded a Bronze Medal and from 1894 through 1905 at the Société des Artistes Français.
His work is very distinctive and immediately recognizable, a most important trait as an artist and a particular accomplishment in light of the output of his contemporaries. He was to sculpture what Alphonse Mucha was to graphics, both men originating from the same province in Czechoslovakia and having similar influences in Paris. It is rather fitting that he would execute a bust of Alphonse Mucha for the Museum of Brno in honor of his accomplishments.
Artist Listings & Bibliography:
- See Berman's Bronzes: Sculptors and Founders 1800-1930 Vol. IV, p. 766-67
Measurements: 14" H x 11 3/8" W x 3 3/8" D [bronze], 20" H x 13 3/8" W x 3 3/4" D [total including marble];
Condition Report:
Exquisite original condition with only the most minor patina handling wear. A very fine presentation.