1 / 4
Featured lot selected by the auctions House.
Premium BEAUSSANT LEFÈVRE & Associés
48
-
Aimé-Jules DALOU (1838-1902) Bather before bathing
Patinated…
See original version (French)
48
-
Aimé-Jules DALOU (1838-1902) Bather before bathing
Patinated…
See original version (French)
Estimate €10,000 - €15,000
Voluntary lot
Description
Aimé-Jules DALOU (1838-1902)
Bather before bathing
Patinated bronze proof, signed, lost wax A.A Hébrard foundryman
Height: 56 cm
The Musée du Petit Palais holds in its collections a plaster cast referenced under n°PPS 284
Provenance :
- Private collection, Paris.
Exhibitions:
- 10 November - 18 December 1976, Paris, Galerie Delestre, Dalou, the model in patinated plaster, under n°6 of the exhibition.
- April 1982, London, Stoppenbach & Delestre Ltd, Homage to A.A. Hebrard, a similar example is described under n°16 and reproduced on plate 17 of the catalogue.
Bibliography:
- Henriette Caillaux, Aimé-Jules Dalou (1838-1902) Librairie Delagrave, Paris, 1935, the plaster copy is reproduced on page 88, Plate XII and described on page 149 with the following indication: "Marble ... Purchased in 1899 by the Compte de X. Belongs to the Countess of Rouvres. The patinated plaster is in the Petit Palais. Was cast in lost-wax bronze by A.-A. Hébrard".
- Amelie Simier, Catalogue of the exhibition Jules Dalou. Le sculpteur de la République, Petit Palais Musées des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris, Paris, 2013, a similar example is described and reproduced on pages 388 & 389, under no. 315.
Created in 1899, La Baigneuse avant le bain belongs to the artist's last period. This work bears witness to his naturalism, attentive to simple attitudes rather than idealised poses. The figure, seated with her arms folded against her chest and her legs close together, is not a nude for show. Its beauty lies precisely in this restraint: Dalou observes a body but also a moment of hesitation. Her head bowed, her gaze lowered, the young woman seems suspended before the gesture, as if she were still wondering whether she was going to enter the water. This psychological nuance, discreet but very present, gives the model a truth that is both physical and inner.
After Dalou's death, A.-A. Hébrard began casting several models. These posthumous editions began in 1907, as evidenced by a letter from A.-A. Hébrard to Henri Lapauze, curator of the Musée des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris, dated 19 July 1907: "I have received an official letter from the Fine Arts Department of the City authorising me to undertake casts of Dalou...". (Archives Musée du Petit Palais, Paris).
The print run of these bronzes was generally limited to ten proofs, with the exception of some copies marked with the letter M, for Modèle, intended for the foundry, and a few proofs marked Pièce Unique. - Expert : Agnès SEVESTRE-BARBE
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
Ref. : 15120 - 1
Lot description modified on 05/22/2026 at 3:27 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
You may also like