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Large bronze sculpture with bronze patina signed Emile Laporte* representing the Gallic Vercingetorix holding his sword, his victorious arm in the air, from the 1880s to the 19th century.
This sculpture is in good condition, signed on the embankment. A similar sculpture is kept at the Camille Claudel use in Nogent-sur-Seine. Description of the work:
Le Gaulois by Emile Laporte is part of a context of profusion of Gaulish figures in sculpture but also in painting, at the end of the 19th century. The sculptor uses the iconography specific to the representation of the Gauls at this time: he endows his character with abundant hair, a drooping mustache and a winged helmet. This image is partly taken from ancient texts dealing with Vercingetorix and the Gauls, and more particularly Caesar's Gallic Wars. The equipment of this character also reflects the latest archaeological discoveries made in the territory, by mixing objects dating from very distant periods in time. He is armed with an Iron Age antennae sword, a Neolithic polished stone axe, and a Bronze Age crested helmet with fanciful wings. The flexible and tight-fitting hoses are of the medieval type. The success of the work reflects the Celtic mania that has affected Europe since the end of the 18th century. At that time the Gauls were only the heroes who had disappeared from a distant history, of which few visible traces remained. Almost a century later, in order to better understand this past, Napoleon III undertook excavations at Alise-Sainte-Reine, in Burgundy, on the supposed site of Alésia, the discoveries of which are exhibited at the new National Antiquities Museum in Saint- Germain-en-Laye. Thanks to the work of historians, the Gauls achieved immense popularity around the middle of the 19th century, while with his History of the Gauls, Amédée Thierry established Vercingétorix as a freedom fighter, the first of the great men, in short, of the French nation. In this spirit, Laporte remains faithful to the classic representation of the figure of the hero, representing his Gaul in a victorious pose.
A note: slight soiling, micro-scratches and wear of time, see photos.
is a French sculptor and medalist. A pupil of the sculptors Gabriel-Jules Thomas, Augustin Dumont, Jean-Marie Bonnassieux and Louis-Ernest Barrias at the Beaux-Arts in Paris, he exhibited his work at the Salon des artistes français from 1881. Rewarded, he became a member of the society of this salon in 1888. His last salon dates back to 1905. Laporte produced a large number of works in plaster published, among others by Siot-Decauville, in the form of bronzes with medal patina, even in spelter.
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