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statue of a woman holding a baby in her armsan image of a white stone sculpture of a woman on a white backgrounda statue of a man with a hat on his headstatue of a woman sitting on top of a rock on a white surfacesculpture of a nude woman sitting on a rock on a white backgroundan image of a stone sculpture of a shoe on a white surfacestatue of a woman holding a baby in her arms on a white background
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284 - Alfred Boucher (1850–1934) Volubilis White marble relief Sig…
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Estimate €8,000 - €12,000
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Description
Alfred Boucher (1850–1934) Volubilis White marble relief Signed on the right-hand edge of the block, towards the bottom: ‘A. BOUCHER’ H. 68 cm Bibliography Jacques Piette, Alfred Boucher 1850–1934, L’œuvre sculpté, Catalogue raisonné, Paris, Mare & Martin, 2014, model listed under no. A38b, pp. 178–183 Initially a pupil of Marius Ramus, then of Paul Dubois and subsequently of Augustin Dumont, Alfred Boucher was thereafter admitted to the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris in 1869 and won the Second Prix de Rome in 1876 with *Jason Seizing the Golden Fleece*. A renowned portraitist, Boucher received numerous public commissions. The artist took as much pleasure in depicting allegories as he did in portraying anonymous labourers, blending the political and rural worlds. The model for *Volubilis* drew its inspiration both from a poem by René François Sully Prud’homme and from one of the figures that Alfred Boucher created in 1894 to adorn the tomb of the metal caster Ferdinand Barbedienne (1810–1892) at Père Lachaise Cemetery. Alfred Boucher enjoyed great critical acclaim at the Salons of 1896 and 1897 with his depiction of Page 1 of 2 ‘Volubilis’ in full-length form. Buoyed by this enthusiasm, the artist decided to produce several variations of this work, whilst retaining the three-quarter front view of the bust and the face in profile. These variations of nude young women, depicted as busts or half-length figures, bear poetic titles: “Le Souvenir”, “Le Printemps”, “Le Rêve”. Each piece reveals the particular attention the artist paid to a specific detail of the composition. In this work, the version “Volubilis à mi corps”, the emergence of a slender female figure from a block of rough marble as well as the deliberate contrast between the materials and the non-finito technique evoke both the work of Auguste Rodin and that of Michelangelo. Expert: Cabinet Lacroix-Jeannest 69 rue Sainte Anne - 75002 PARIS We would like to thank Mr Jacques Piette, Alfred Boucher’s biographer, for confirming to us, on the basis of photographic evidence, in an email dated 22 June 2026, the authenticity of this work.
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About the sale fine July sale
Auction location
Auction time 07/11/2026 at 1:30 PM
Pictures modified on 07/01/2026 at 4:12 PM
Lot description modified on 07/08/2026 at 12:21 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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