C at titude
BUGATTI AND HIS LEGACY
C at titude
150 YEARS OF FELINE SCULPTURE
All items are subject to prior sale.
Dimensions are height in inches and centimetres. Where items are shown on a base, this is included in the measurements.
Due to the ambiguities inherent in measuring complex three-dimensional objects, the measurements given throughout this publication are primarily to provide a sense of each sculpture’s scale. They are not intended for reference in issues of authentication etc.
ISBN 978-1-901403-26-8
CATTITUDE DEFINITION:
STATE OR FEELING OF IMMENSE SUPERIORITY, BUT NOT ARROGANCE.
*NOUN. 2. (HUMOROUS) THE ATTITUDE OF A CAT.
Some animals lend themselves especially well to sculpture, and without doubt, in this respect ‘Big Cats’ are the leader of the pack. The prowling, predatory nature of these iconic animals, be they tigers, lions, jaguars, leopards, or cheetahs is perfectly captured by the medium of bronze. Equally, the domesticity of the house cat can be sensitively portrayed in three-dimensional form, revealing the duality of the species.
Throughout time, artists have been captivated by felines, whose presence is woven into art throughout history, as sculptors have captured their beauty, grace and strength.
‘Cattitude’ is our first exhibition based on big cats and it affords us the opportunity to show sculpture which spans three centuries, allowing a fascinating insight into the sculptural development of felines through time.
We look forward to welcoming you to Jermyn Street.
EDWARD HORSWELLApril 2024
1
Artus was driven by a desire to enhance the attitude of his subject, removing all superfluous detail to create smooth and sleek forms, as is exemplified in the dynamism of this walking panther.
LARGE PANTHER
CIRCA 1931
(FRENCH, 1897-1978)
HEIGHT: 10 IN (25 CM)
LION AND SERPENT
ANTOINE-LOUIS BARYE (FRENCH, 1795-1875)
HEIGHT: 23 IN (58 CM)
3
Becquerel’s favourite subject matter was cats, which he often captured frozen in movement, epitomised here in this majestic model of a stalking panther on a rock.
STALKING PANTHER
CIRCA 1925
ANDRE VINCENT BECQUEREL (FRENCH, 1893–1981)
BRONZE
HEIGHT: 11.8 IN (30 CM)
“As for Rembrandt Bugatti, what he liked observing in his models was precisely their movement, and certainly not static poses. How they crouched down, bodies extended, mouths half-open, claws unfurled. How lithely they arched their backs.”
THE ANIMAL GAZER, EDGARDO FRANZONSINILIONESS EATING
(ITALIAN, 1884–1916)
HEIGHT: 7 IN (17 CM)
Bugatti was known for his uncanny empathy with animals, and contemporary photographs show big cats seeming to ‘hold a pose’ specifically for him to depict. Animals offered him a refuge from human relationships that he found fraught with tension.
CROUCHING JAGUAR
1908
(ITALIAN, 1884–1916)
BRONZE
HEIGHT: 4 IN (11 CM)
LEOPARD AT REST
REMBRANDT BUGATTI (ITALIAN, 1884–1916) BRONZE
HEIGHT: 12.4 IN (32 CM)
This work has enormous grandeur as a sculpture. It shows Bugatti’s ability to capture the dynamism of big cats and their ability to stand with mesmeric stillness.
This is one of Bugatti’s most unforgettable sculptures of the cat family. The symmetry, broken by a subtle turn of the head and slight shift of one hind leg lends the work a repose and dignity rare even for the human portrait in modern sculpture.
SEATED LEOPARD
REMBRANDT BUGATTI (ITALIAN, 1884–1916) BRONZE HEIGHT: 7.3 IN (19C M)
WALKING LEOPARD
(ITALIAN, 1884–1916)
HEIGHT: 9 IN (24 CM)
Here Collin adeptly captures the energy of the cat as it stretches, its chin firmly lowered into his neck, hind legs and tail outstretched.
CAT WITH ARCHED BACK
CIRCA 1925
HEIGHT: 7.5 IN (19 CM)
10
STRETCHING LEOPARD
CIRCA 1922
(BELGIAN, 1886–1962)
HEIGHT: 10.2 IN (26 CM)
This model was exhibited at Antwerp Zoo in 1943 and this rare plaster is patinated, giving the appearance of a bronze.
TIGER’S HEAD
CIRCA 1925
ALBERIC COLLIN (BELGIAN, 1886–1962)
PLASTER
HEIGHT: 8.7 IN (22 CM)
Rose Corcoran’s exciting new collection of drawings will be exhibited at the Sladmore Gallery this October. Its focus will be her charcoal drawings of big cats, including largescale pieces, for which Rose is celebrated.
12
LEOPARD WALKING
ROSE CORCORAN (BRITISH, BORN 1972)
CONTE ON PAPER, UNIQUE DRAWING HEIGHT: 18 IN (45 CM)
LIONESS CLOSE-UP
2024
ROSE CORCORAN (BRITISH, BORN 1972)
CHARCOAL ON PAPER, UNIQUE DRAWING
HEIGHT: 13.5 IN (35 CM)
This walking Lion maquette is a study for a life-size version, in either scale this work captures the energy and movement for which Coreth is known.
14
WALKING TIGER, MAQUETTE
2024 MARK CORETH
(BRITISH, BORN.1958 – LONDON)
BRONZE, EDITION OF 12 HEIGHT: 4 IN (10 CM)
15
STRETCHING PANTHER, GROOMING
(BRITISH, BORN 1958 – LONDON)
BRONZE, FROM AN EDITION OF 9
H: 10.2 IN (26 CM)
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LARGE STRETCHING PANTHER
2023
MARK CORETH
(BRITISH, BORN 1958 – LONDON)
BRONZE, FROM AN EDITION OF 9, HEIGHT: 25 IN (64 CM)
DRAWING OF TWO CATS
CIRCA 1930
CHARLES DELHOMMEAU (FRENCH, 1883–1970)
DRAWING
HEIGHT: 13.1 IN (33 CM)
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Godchaux found his models in the zoo, favouring young felines and large animals whose dense muscular mass gave him the challenge of portraying dynamic force in volume. His work was based on strict observation reinforced by very fine detailed drawings.
RECLINING PANTHER
CIRCA 1930
ROGER GODCHAUX (FRENCH, 1878–1958)
BRONZE
HEIGHT: 2.1 IN (5 CM)
PLAQUE OF A WALKING PANTHER
CIRCA 1930
1878–1958)
HEIGHT: 5.9 IN (15 CM)
TIGER IN HIS CAGE
CIRCA 1930
GEORGES GUYOT (FRENCH, 1885–1973)
WATERCOLOUR HEIGHT: 7.1 IN (18 CM)
Self-taught, Guyot haunted the Jardin des Plantes, capturing his cats with a recognisable character and extraordinary stylistic verve and skill. Here he captures the intimacy of the cat, depicting adeptly the stillness of the moment.
21
SEATED LEOPARD
CIRCA 1920
GEORGES GUYOT (FRENCH, 1885–1973) BRONZE
HEIGHT: 7.2 IN (18 CM)
Haeren’s important patron was Elisabeth of Bavaria who was known as the Queen of the Belgians, who shared Robelus’s love of cats and commissioned many of her works.
RECLINING CAT
LOUISE HAERENS ROBELUS (BELGIAN, 1884–1961)
BRONZE
HEIGHT: 8.3 IN (21 CM)
LION AND TIGER
CIRCA 1865
HENRI-ALFRED-MARIE JACQUEMART (FRENCH, 1824–1896)
CAST IRON
HEIGHT: 60 IN (152 CM)
LIFE-SIZE
Creator of the Monumental Rhinoceros of the Musée d’Orsay, Jacquemart’s rare, impressive oversize lion and tiger were included in the Barbezat catalogue of 1865.
Inscribed in French ‘Friend of the sun from the dawn of time.’ this doublesided medal, depicts the Egyptian god Bastet, the feline goddess of the home, domesticity, women’s secrets, cats, fertility, and childbirth.
24
AN ANGORA CAT MEDAL
CIRCA 1988
JEAN JOACHIM (FRENCH, 1905–1990) BRONZE
HEIGHT: 3.1 IN (8 CM)
In 1977 Kenworthy visited Nepal where he first encountered tigers, here depicted with a striking sense of the animal’s movement and expression, capturing the latent power of this magnificent large cat.
YAWNING TIGRESS
JONATHAN KENWORTHY (ENGLISH, BORN 1943) BRONZE
HEIGHT: 13.8 IN (35 CM)
HEAD OF THE PANTHER BAGHEERA
CIRCA 1930 GASTON LE BOURGEOIS (FRENCH, 1880–1956) BRONZE
HEIGHT: 8.3 IN (21 CM)
The subject of this sculpture was a panther named Bagheera who lived with Le Bourgeois at his home in Rambouillet where he had a menagerie of animals. This cast is the modele, which was the first cast taken from the original carving in pear wood.
LION WALKING
CIRCA 1927
GASTON LE BOURGEOIS (FRENCH, 1880–1956) BRONZE
HEIGHT: 13.4 IN (34 CM)
This actual cast comes from the collection of Francois Ducharne the founder of the Lyon silk company. The eminent designer Jacques Ruhlmann created the interiors for his Parisian home which included this rare Walking Lion.
HEAD OF A LION
CIRCA 1880
VICTOR PETER (FRENCH, 1840-1918)
BRONZE
HEIGHT: 4 IN (9 CM)
29
Examples of this model exist in various different finishes, this example was first produced in terracotta which was then enamelled. The result is a lustrous finish, rich in colour.
WALKING LION
CIRCA 1930 JEANNE PIFFARD (FRENCH, 1892–1971)
TERRACOTTA
HEIGHT: 10.9 IN (28 CM)
“You have to look at the animal from a distance. Close to, you see all the unimportant detail. From a distance the subject takes on its real significance. The formal relationships become apparent. But you must still simplify, make sacrifices, and deform in order to gain expression.”
FRANCOIS POMPON
SPECKLED PANTHER
FRANCOIS POMPON (FRENCH, 1855–1933)
BRONZE
HEIGHT: 8 IN (21 CM)
Sandoz was a phenomenal sculptor who was both inventive and creative. He incorporated many of his stand-alone sculptural designs into utilitarian objects such as letter openers, desk bells, jardinieres, vases, and here, a lap warmer.
CAT SLEEPING
CIRCA 1916
EDOUARD-MARCEL SANDOZ (SWISS, 1880–1971)
WIDTH: 3.5 IN (9 CM)
Each year starting with Bugatti’s Crouching Jaguar in 1906 the Hébrard Gallery chose a highly desirable small-scale sculpture that they offered in a limited edition of fifty examples. The present model forms part of this series.
32
SMALL SEATED ANGORA CAT
1910
ALEXANDRE STEINLEN (SWISS, 1859–1923) BRONZE
HEIGHT: 4.9 IN (12 CM)
SEATED CAT WITH RUFF
THEOPHILE ALEXANDRE STEINLEN (SWISS, 1859–1923) BRONZE
HEIGHT: 2.7 IN (7 CM)
Steinlen spent his days surrounded by cats, an animal with which he had a life-long fascination. He produced numerous drawings capturing the relationship between felines.
TWO SLEEPING CATS
1900
THEOPHILE ALEXANDRE STEINLEN (SWISS, 1859–1923)
DRAWING
HEIGHT: 6.6 IN (17 CM)
SLEEPING CAT
HEIGHT: 2.2 IN (6CM)
SEKHMET II
2024
NICHOLA THEAKSTON (BRITISH, BORN 1967)
BRONZE, EDITION OF 12
HEIGHT: 18 IN (46 CM)
37 BASTET
2024
(BRITISH, BORN 1967)
BRONZE, EDITION OF 12 HEIGHT: 17.3 IN (44 CM)
This model depicts an alert panther eying up his prey, his head cocked attentitively
38
PANTHER
CIRCA 1930
AUGUSTE TRÉMONT (LUXEMBOURG, 1892–1980) BRONZE
HEIGHT: 13.4 IN (34 CM)
The Belgian artist Van Ryswyck looked beyond the traditional representations of the animals he sculpted and instead captured their attitude and emotion as is evident in the portrayal of this walking panther.
WALKING PANTHER
THIERRY VAN RYSWYCK (BELGIAN, 1911–1958)
BRONZE
HEIGHT: 3.5 IN (9 CM)
WALKING TIGER
HEIGHT: 13 IN (33 CM)
Full information on all artworks, including provenance, foundry and museum references are available on request
With thanks to the Sladmore team
Photography: Ken Adlard, New Moon Photography Theo Riviere
Design: Chris Hall, Burlington Magazine
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