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362 - Prince Paul Petrovitch TROUBETZKOY (Italy, 1866-1938) Seated…
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Estimate €12,000 - €15,000
Sale commission
Description
Prince Paul Petrovitch TROUBETZKOY (Italy, 1866-1938) Seated and pensive woman (1929) Brown patina bronze depicting an elegant woman seated in a wide chair, her hand raised to her chin in a pensive attitude, signed and dated on the base "Paul Troubetzkoy 1929". Antique and posthumous cast by Attilio Valsuani, stamped on the back "CIRE PERDUE A. VALSUANI". VALSUANI" ON THE BACK. H. 37 x W. 36 x D. 41 cm. History Executed in 1929, this important female figure belongs to Paul Troubetzkoy's mature years. After an international career that spanned Italy, Russia, France, England and the United States, the sculptor returned to a freer, more interiorised, almost meditative expression of his art. The son of a Russian prince and an American singer, Troubetzkoy remains one of the most singular figures in the cosmopolitan sculpture of the Belle Époque and the inter-war period. Although he didn't really belong to any particular school, he imposed an immediately recognisable language, based on nervous modelling, vibrating surfaces and a highly personal way of capturing not so much a fixed form as the appearance of a presence. The subject is depicted seated, his face pressed against his hand, in a calm, pensive attitude. The body, the garment and the piece of furniture are treated as a whole, with a highly worked, almost moving material. Here, Troubetzkoy does not seek a smooth, perfectly descriptive finish. He favours a rapid, irregular modelling, made up of hollows, reliefs and marked planes. The light plays on the bronze, emphasising the folds of the dress and the edges of both the pedestal and the pedestal table. This living surface is characteristic of his art, which seeks to capture an impression, a presence, rather than freeze a form. Because of its size, the work goes beyond the intimate format of the living-room statuette. It has a real presence in space. The figure is not confined to an elegant pose, but is part of a wider composition in which the base, the furniture and the dress all play their part in balancing the whole. The broad base gives the sculpture a solid foundation, while the widely modelled garment adds breadth and movement. This work is a fine example of Troubetzkoy's last period. The artist retains the freedom of modelling and the sense of presence for which he is renowned, but directs them towards a more sober and interior expression. On the contrary, her anonymity reinforces the work's charm, giving full rein to the attitude, material and sensitivity of the bronze.
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About the sale RUSSIAN ART
Auction location
Auction time 06/05/2026 at 11:00 AM
Lot description modified on 06/03/2026 at 4:03 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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