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Lot Essay
An important rediscovered work by the French sculptor, Alfred Boucher, the present relief of the hunting goddess, Diana in a wood with a greyhound is a splendid demonstration of its sculptor’s production. Seemingly unique, this relief is a notable addition to Boucher’s œuvre. In its composition, it closely relates to a series of marble figures he executed in the round of the goddess, La Chasseresse or Dianne au lévrier, in 1895, which represent Diana in a similar striding pose leading a greyhound (J. Piette, Alfred Boucher 1850-1934, L’œuvre sculpté, catalogue raisonné, Paris, 2014, pp. 166-7, A36). The present marble dates to slightly later than these figures and was likely the result of a private commission. It offers a more complex rendering of the hunting goddess – here captured mid-stride and balanced on one foot – together with studies of the animalier and natural realms, and is a fine resume of Boucher’s virtuoso skill.
In this relief, Boucher makes direct reference to the celebrated work of his 18th century predecessor, Jean Antoine Houdon (1741-1828), Diane chasseresse (1777-1790), in which the hunting goddess is posed astride with a bow to one hand an arrow to the other and a small crescent in her hair. Houdon’s figure, which caused a sensation upon its unveiling due to the nudity of the huntress, subsequently influenced generations of French sculptors and remains one of the most celebrated works of the Ancien Régime. A full-scale bronze version is in the Louvre (CC 204). Houdon, in turn, was likely inspired by the Greek Antique masterpiece, Artémis, déesse de la chasse, dite “Diane de Versailles” (5th-4th century B.C.) which represents the goddess striding forward and leading a stag, in the French royal collections from the mid-16th century and today in the Louvre (MR 152). The present relief is thus a fine manifestation of Boucher’s classical formation and a unique interpretation of Antique and French sculptural masterpieces. Boucher also created a series of reliefs of similar size to the present lot, albeit of different subject matter, for the monument to Eugène Flachat in Paris dated to 1897, further reinforcing the dating of the present work to the late 1890s.
Boucher was taught by a number of celebrated French sculptors including Paul Dubois (1829-1905) and Augustin-Alexandre Dumont (1801-1884) and showed regularly at the Parisian Salons as well as the great International Exhibitions of the era. He received numerous official commissions from the French state and also established an atelier in Paris, known as `La Ruche’ (the Beehive), in which many artists of the proceeding generations were apprenticed including the celebrated painter Chaim Soutine (1893-1943). In keeping with the stylistic developments of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Boucher’s work evolved to suit the ever-changing tastes of the day. The present relief is a rare manifestation of Boucher's exceptional abilities in numerous realms, a fine resume of his classical formation, and an important addition to his œuvre.
Christie’s wishes to thank Jacques Piette, author of the catalogue raisonné on Alfred Boucher, for his assistance in the research for the present lot and for confirming it is a lifetime work by Boucher.
In this relief, Boucher makes direct reference to the celebrated work of his 18th century predecessor, Jean Antoine Houdon (1741-1828), Diane chasseresse (1777-1790), in which the hunting goddess is posed astride with a bow to one hand an arrow to the other and a small crescent in her hair. Houdon’s figure, which caused a sensation upon its unveiling due to the nudity of the huntress, subsequently influenced generations of French sculptors and remains one of the most celebrated works of the Ancien Régime. A full-scale bronze version is in the Louvre (CC 204). Houdon, in turn, was likely inspired by the Greek Antique masterpiece, Artémis, déesse de la chasse, dite “Diane de Versailles” (5th-4th century B.C.) which represents the goddess striding forward and leading a stag, in the French royal collections from the mid-16th century and today in the Louvre (MR 152). The present relief is thus a fine manifestation of Boucher’s classical formation and a unique interpretation of Antique and French sculptural masterpieces. Boucher also created a series of reliefs of similar size to the present lot, albeit of different subject matter, for the monument to Eugène Flachat in Paris dated to 1897, further reinforcing the dating of the present work to the late 1890s.
Boucher was taught by a number of celebrated French sculptors including Paul Dubois (1829-1905) and Augustin-Alexandre Dumont (1801-1884) and showed regularly at the Parisian Salons as well as the great International Exhibitions of the era. He received numerous official commissions from the French state and also established an atelier in Paris, known as `La Ruche’ (the Beehive), in which many artists of the proceeding generations were apprenticed including the celebrated painter Chaim Soutine (1893-1943). In keeping with the stylistic developments of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Boucher’s work evolved to suit the ever-changing tastes of the day. The present relief is a rare manifestation of Boucher's exceptional abilities in numerous realms, a fine resume of his classical formation, and an important addition to his œuvre.
Christie’s wishes to thank Jacques Piette, author of the catalogue raisonné on Alfred Boucher, for his assistance in the research for the present lot and for confirming it is a lifetime work by Boucher.