catalog text
ÉMILE FERNAND-DUBOIS
Belgian/French, 1869-1952
"Devant L'Amour"
Dark brown-to-black overall patinated bronze | signed in base "Fernand-Dubois", foundry cachet for Siot-Decauville, cold-stamped three digits "41...?"
Item # 209NWB08Z
A sensitive cast of a young woman on the ground with her head downcast raising her arm to cover her weeping eyes, there is a quiet that surrounds the subject without any other embellishment or surface distraction. Fernand-Dubois conceived the work in 1910 and it was subsequently cast by the the renowned foundry of Siot-Decauville. The quality of the model is self-evident with a smooth skin devoid of any casting flaw and finished in a rich and nearly black overall surface patina. It is signed in the base in script "Fernand-Dubois" and is sealed with the foundry cachet as well as the typical cold-stamped numbers.
ARTIST
Born in Renaix in 1861, Émile Fernand-Dubois studied under Charles van der Stappen in Brussels. He taught at the École Professionalle d'Art Appliqué and worked in a wide number of mediums, producing jewelry, furniture, decorative objects and plaques, though his work was primarily expressed as sculpture and medallions. He participated in the exhibitions held by Les Vingt from 1883 to 1893, the Salon de la Libre Esthétique from 1893 through 1914. He exhibited at the Salon de la Société des Artistes Français regularly and won a gold medal for his submission in 1923.
He became famous for his Monuments to the Dead situated throughout France in commemoration of the First World War and was well-known for his bust of Marianne ou La République. Other notable works include his 1920 submission of Amoureuse extase, his model of a woman in mourning from 1910 entitled Devant l'Amour, the 1914 Bust of Marshal Foch and the full-length statue of Jean-Baptiste Eble held in the Rohan Pavilion of the Louvre. He was reputed to be the first conservator for Museé de la Loire and many of his sketches, plasters and sculptures are held in the permanent collection there.
Artist Listings & Bibliography:
- E. Benezit Dictionary of Artists, Vol IV, Gründ, 2006, p. 1204
Measurements: 15" H x 14 3/8" D x 17 1/4" W
Condition Report: Surface cleaned, sealed in conservator's wax and polished; light wear to patina in raised areas showing the more golden hues of the underlying bronze through the overall black patina and spots of patina wear here and there throughout; spots of discoloration to the patina and blemishes, more visible under harsh light; trace verdigris around the base under the wax layer; overall a very good presentation.