‘Ours Polaire’, 1950
Price Code: SOLD
Reference: 5944
François Pompon (French, 1855-1933)
‘Ours Polaire’ (Polar Bear)
A very fine Art Deco cire perdue bronze posthumously cast by the Valsuari foundry circa 1950, with original brown-black patina.
Length: 12½ inches (32 cms)
Height: 6¼ inches (16 cms)
Depth: 3½ inches (9 cms).
The unique, life-size ‘Ours Polaire’ or ‘Ours Blanc’ was sculpted in marble by François Pompon in 1922 and is now on permanent display at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris. Cast in bronze and reduced in size in 1927 by French foundry Hebrard, further examples were cast in bronze after Pompon’s death in 1933 by the Valsuari foundry in Paris. ‘Ours Polaire’ is Pompon’s undoubted masterpiece, and is considered to be the forerunner of modern sculpture.
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