Jean-Léon Gérôme (1824-1904) - Lot 51

Jean-Léon Gérôme (1824-1904) Caesar crossing the Rubicon Model created around 1900 Bronze with golden and brown patina Cast by Siot-Decauville Signed "J.L. GEROME" on the plinth Stamped "SIOT DECAUVILLE PARIS" and numbered "200H". H. 38 cm, terrace W. 39 x D. 13 cm The famous painter Jean-Léon Gérôme tried his hand at sculpture at the 1878 Exposition Universelle. He created statuettes, mostly painted, inspired by his own paintings. Influenced by Greek, Roman and Egyptian antiquity, the Orient and contemporary history, Gérôme created skilful sculptures with a taste for detail, materials and color that set his Symbolist or "Neo-Pompeian" creations apart from the French sculpture of the late 19th century. Produced around 1900, this equestrian statuette depicts Julius Caesar returning to Rome on the Rubicon after defeating the Gauls in 49 BC. The model was a great success, and the bronze edition was entrusted to the Siot-Decauville foundry. Related work : -Jean-Léon Gérôme, César franchissant le Rubicon, circa 1900, gilded bronze with brown and black patina,,75 x 93.7 x 29.8 cm, National Gallery of Canada, N°.inv 40157. Related literature : -Gérald M. Ackerman, Jean-Léon Gérôme, monographie et catalog raisonné, Paris, édition ACR, 1986, model listed under no. S. 54, pp. 326-327.