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About us

silla was born out of a passion for beautiful objects: special pieces with aesthetic and historical significance. In 2009, after years of collecting, Andrew Silla and his wife Grace began to work privately with clients from their residence in Southern Maryland. Quickly outgrowing the space, the business was moved from Maryland to Pennsylvania in 2012 and after several warehouse location changes it was firmly settled in the present brick-and-mortar location in downtown Shippensburg.

The 9000 square foot brick-and-mortar gallery is home to a large collection of works of art and estate jewelry. We specialize in sculpture circa 1860 through 1930 with a particular emphasis on the Animaliers and as such the gallery always has a very large collection of exceptional European and American sculpture available on display.

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"Merino Ewe", bronze sculpture | Isidore Jules Bonheur & Peyrol

Bonheur, Isidore

SKU:
009XPR12A
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This item is sold. Please email sales@sillafineantiques.com to be notified when similar items become available. Our gallery is very active in hunting down unique pieces and we will almost certainly be able to find something special for your collection.

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catalog text

"MERINO EWE" BRONZE SCULPTURE CAST AFTER A MODEL BY ISIDORE JULES BONHEUR
Circa 1870; signed in cast "I. BONHEUR"; cast by Peyrol foundry, cold-stamped verso
Item # 009XPR12A 


This exquisite model of Merino Ewe by Isidore Jules Bonheur was cast circa 1870 by the Peyrol foundry, the tiny foundry cachet cold-stamped to the reverse of the bronze along the edge of the base. Our gallery has also handled Bonheur's variation on this model, a combined grouping of Merino Ram and Ewe - both Merino Ram and another version of Merino Ewe that were acquired together may still be available in the shop inventory. 

The present model is finely detailed, typical of Isidore Jules Bonheur in his objective and exacting modeling of these sensitive creatures.  Note the careful handling of the wool, this chaotic furling difficult to model but even more difficult to cast competently.  When carefully examining this sculpture, it quickly becomes clear why Isidore and Rosa's sheep were some of the finest and most highly sought-after models authored by the 19th century Animaliers.  The face of the ewe is chiseled with exceptional crispness and is flawlessly finished.

The figure is finished in a dark brown chemical patina with hints of black over lighter bronze hues.  It is signed in the naturalistic base "I BONHEUR".  The underside of the base is finished in a gold wash and shows the typical Peyrol foundry practice of peened post-end joinery.

Measurements: 7 1/2" H x 9 1/4" W x 3 7/8"D

Condition Report:
Minor rubbing to relief, overall a fine original patina that has been carefully cleaned, conserved and polished.