"CHIEN EPAGNEUL FRANCAIS" BRONZE SCULPTURE BY CHRISTOPHE FRATIN (FRENCH, 1800-1864)
Stamped faintly edge of base "EPAGNEUL", signed corner "FRATIN"
Item # 001GKR21P 

A very fine model of a French Spaniel, the quality of the casting is noteworthy with an exquisitely finished surface and fine chiseled detail throughout. Typical of Fratin's work, the model is beautifully textured with a great sense of movement and the touch of impressionism evident in most of his work, despite predating the Modernism movement by nearly a century. The model is very faintly stamped along the front edge "EPAGNEUL" and is signed also faintly in the front right corner "FRATIN" with his standard reversed N.

This is an exceedingly rare cast on the open market. 

Literature & Further Reading:

• Animals in Bronze, Christopher Payne, 2002, p. 228, f. D77 [present model depicted]

• Bronzes of the Nineteenth Century: A Dictionary of Sculptors, Pierre Kjellberg, 1994, p. 322-326

• The Animaliers, James Mackay, 1973, p. 61-65

• The Bronze Sculpture of "Les Animaliers", Jane Horswell, p. 81-102
• E. Benezit Dictionary of Artists, Vol. V, Gründ, 2006, p. 1044

Measurements: 9 1/4" W x 4 1/8" H x 3 5/8" D

Condition Report:
Light handling wear to original patina, this very minor and more notable along the ridge of his back.