1 / 3
statue of a man and woman hugging each other on a white surfacea bronze statue of a man sitting on a rocka bronze statue of a man on a horse on a rock
Premium Pierre Bergé & Associés

104 - Georges LACOMBE (1868–1916) "The Embrace", 1908 Bronze sculp…
See original version (French)

Estimate €3,000 - €5,000
Sale commission
Description
Georges LACOMBE (1868–1916) "The Embrace", 1908 Bronze sculpture with a brown patina depicting a man and a nude woman embracing. Posthumous cast by Bingen and Costenoble. Signed "Lacombe" on the pedestal and dated "08". Inscription on the plinth: "Composite bronze patinated by Edouard Monod-Herzen" and the foundry’s signature: "A. Bingen and Costenoble, foundry, Paris". H_55 cm The plaster model of our sculpture is listed in Blandine Salmon and Olivier Meslay, "Georges Lacombe: Sculpture – Paintings – Drawings", Paris, Charles and André Bailly Editeurs, 1991, no. 19, p. 29, reproduced with a period photograph taken in the artist’s studio. The plaster cast of our bronze is “certainly the only truly ‘Rodinian’ sculpture by Lacombe. One cannot help but think of Rodin’s work, of its sensuality and the slight distortions he imposed on the bodies. There is no known connection between the two artists; at that time, Rodin was at the height of his fame. Lacombe exhibited a chiselled bronze at the Salon d’Automne, certainly cast from the plaster model visible in the old photograph. It should be noted that, unlike his experiments in painting, Georges Lacombe—with the exception of this example—never turned to a classicism of form in his sculpture to which his talents might have led him, as if he had found great satisfaction in this art from a very early stage." Blandine Salmon and Olivier Meslay, "Georges Lacombe Sculpture - Peintures - Dessins", Paris, Charles et André Bailly Editeurs, 1991, p. 29. Bibliography for the plaster: J. de Saint-Hilaire, "Salon d'Automne", in Journal des Arts, 1909, no. 66 P. Gomez, "Le Salon d'Automne", in L'Ere Nouvelle, 8 Nov. 1920 Exhibitions for the plaster cast: Salon d'Automne, Paris, 1909, no. 908 Salon d'Automne, Paris, 1920, no. 1269 Retrospective exhibitions of works by Georges Lacombe, Paris, Galerie Balzac, 1924
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
About the sale Harmonie des siècles : Furniture, Paintings, Works of art
Auction location
Auction time 06/26/2026 at 2:00 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
You may also like