catalog text
"PASTORALE" BRONZE SCULPTURE BY CHARLES ANFRIE (FRENCH, 1833-1905)
Signed to base "C. Anfrie", incised "DELARUE Editeur 2 rue Commines PARIS"; circa 1890
Item # 908WGO16P
Steeped in the Romantic, this gorgeous figural sculpture was modeled by Charles Anfrie first as a group with a young man having handed this flower to the girl in an attempt to garner her affections. That model suggests what perhaps this figure more fully communicates: that the young girl was more interested in the flower than in his attention. It is likely a game of "he loves me, he loves me not" that has so fully captured her attention, her eyes are fully set on the pedals as she plucks them one-by-one from the daisy.
A technical and exceedingly precise work, the casting is sharp and expert with a fine texturing of the girl's skin, chiseling of the hair and details of her garment and flawless finishing of all surfaces in a warm reddish-brown patina with coppery hints.
The work is signed in his typical script "C. Anfrie" to the naturalistic base, the edge of this crisply incised noting Delarue as the Editeur of this work.
Despite being incredibly popular and having executed, by some counts, over three-hundred models, little is known of Charles Anfrie's life. His oeuvre is infused with a natural sense of humor as he captures glimpses and moments of adventure, love and mischief.
Literature & Further Reading:
- See larger courtship group, "Bronzes: Sculptors and Founders, 1800-1930, Vol. IV, Berman, 1980, p. 1037, f. 4053
Measurements: 22" H x 7 1/8" D x 6 3/4" base diameter
Condition Report:
Cleaned and polished, in fine presentation ready condition. Original patina with remnants of parcel gilding rubbed mostly away over time. Old spots of oxidization to surface. Minor patina discoloration where base was out of round and was restored.