catalog text
AUGUSTE NICHOLAS CAIN
French, 1822-1894
"Coq Français Chantant" [also "La Reveil"]
Medium-brown patina with reddish hue on bronze | Signed "CAIN", foundry cachet verso for Susse, cold-stamped to underside "SUSSE FRES", "4", "00" | cast after 1894
Item # 202FPQ12L
Exhibited at the Salon of 1883 in wax as no. 4173, Coq Français Chantant was initially acquired for the Petit-Palais des Champs-Elysées. While Auguste Cain was an accomplished founder and cast not only most of his own work in his atelier but also the work of his father-in-law Pierre Jules Mêne, he entered into a commercial contract with Susse Fréres after his father-in-law's death in 1879 to have his work cast. They issued a catalogue dedicated to the two sculptors and the model of Coq Français features prominently as no. 22 in a full page illustration; the late 19th century catalogue by Susse of Auguste Cain's solo work notes this 20 cm model as no. 24 with an asking price of 180 francs. It was offered in several sizes, the present being the smallest at 7 3/4" in total height. The model was revived again posthumously in 1914 as a patriotic call, those models generally titled "La Reveil 1914" and also cast by Susse.
A delightful cast with fine chiseling and a silky overall surface, it features a medium-brown overall patination. The model is signed CAIN in the naturalistic base and is stamped SUSSE to the underside with the foundry cachet to the reverse.
Literary references:
- Susse Frères: 150 Years of Sculpture, 1837-1987, Cadet, Susse Frères, 1992, ill. p. 233 [Mene/Cain catalogue reproduced: no. 22]
- Dictionnaire des Sculpteurs de l'École Française, Vol. 1, Stanislas Lami, Kraus, 1914, p. 233-238
- Bronzes of the 19th Century: A Dictionary of Sculptors, Pierre Kjellberg, Schiffer, 1994, p. 164-168, [catalogue reproduced p. 164-165]
Measurements: 7 3/4" H x 3 3/8" D x 5 1/2" W
Condition Report:
Fine original condition, no observed flaws. Cleaned and sealed in wax, a fine presentation.