catalog text
BRONZE GROUP OF A MOTHER AND KID GOATS BY GEORGES LUCIEN VACOSSIN (FRENCH, 1870-1942)
Signed in base "G. Vacossin" with cachet "Cire Purdue Paris" and incised "No. 1"
Item # 002WPP15A
A fine lost-wax modernist sculptural group of a mother goat and her two kids by Georges Lucien Vacossin, the work is beautifully cast with a silky surface over a complex golden-brown, dark brown and black patina. The textured surface of the animals only hints at the chaotic furling of hair, the work executed more by a palette knife rather than a chisel leaving the detail of the figures to be filled in by the viewer. An exceedingly rare group by Vacossin, a well-accomplished by infrequently found sculptor, the sculpture is situated over the original verde marble base with inset plaques of goat kids on front and back. The naturalistic base is signed in the wax prior to casting "G. Vacossin" and is stamped with the cachet "Cire Purdue Paris", also being inscribed in the wax prior to casting "No. 1".
Born in Granvilliers, France on March 1st of 1870, Georges Lucien Vacossin studied under Lemaire and exhibited at the Salon des Artistes Français from 1902 through 1937. He was recognized with honorable mention in 1904, became a member of the Salon in 1905, was being awarded a third-class medal in 1908 and achieved a second-class medal in 1913. He is perhaps best known for his depictions of dogs and cats, many of these executed by the Thiebaut Freres foundry after 1900. In addition to working in bronze, he also had works cast by the Sèvres porcelain factory.
Literature & Further Reading:
- E. Benezit Dictionary of Artists, Vol. XIII, 2006, p. 1398
- Bronzes of the Nineteenth Century: A Dictionary of Sculptors, Pierre Kjellberg, 1994, p. 635
- The Dictionary of Western Sculptors in Bronze, James Mackay, 1977, p. 379
Measurements: 14 3/8" H x 8 3/4" D x 14 3/4" W [bronze]; 18 5/8" H x 11 1/8" D x 16 1/8" W [total including base]
Condition Report:
Original marble base with small edge and corner chips. Verdigris oxidization on base plaques. In fine original condition with only very minor patina handling wear.