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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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“Young Trapped Elephant” | Emmanuel Fremiet (French, 1824-1910)

Fremiet, Emmanuel

SKU:
809SJH28L

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catalog text

EMMANUEL FREMIET (FRENCH, 1824-1910) JEUNE ÉLÉPHANT PRIS AU PIÈGE
Signed Fremiet in naturalistic base, inscribed "Coulé en cuivre de l'Ounyamouesi"; patinated copper
Item # 809SJH28L


The monumental life-size original of this work was sculpted in 1878 and is presently on display at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris.  This version is a reduction reworked by Fremiet for the retail market, which in light of its size has had removed the ground elements of twisting ropes and a monkey looking on in amusement.  It was commissioned by the Living Artists Acquisition Service in 1877, originally as a Buffalo to present on the terrace of the Trocadéro Palace but as Fremiet did not find the subject interesting he chose to instead sculpt the Young Elephant Trapped.  A sensitive and empathetic work, Fremiet does a marvelous job of capturing the youth’s immaturity and shock at having been hobbled by a crude slipknot trap.  The present example is inscribed along the corner (translation) “Cast in copper from the Ounyamouesi“.  It is an exquisite little sculpture with a translucent patina that simply glows and allows the golden-red hue of the metal to shine through brilliantly.

Measurements:  6 1/2 H x 5 3/4 W x 2 1/4 D

Literature and Further Reading:

  • "The Animaliers", James Mackay
  • “Bronze Sculpture of Les Animaliers”, Jane Horswell
  • "Art Bronzes", Michael Forest
  • "Animals in Bronze", Christopher Payne
  • "Bronzes of the Nineteenth Century: Dictionary of Bronze Sculptors", Pierre Kjellberg, p. 327-337

Condition Report:
Exceptional original condition, no flaws.