Gazette Drouot - C apencheres

Rembrandt Bugatti
This group lived up to expectations. Bearing
the stamp of the founder “Cire perdue [Lostwax
cast] A. A. HEBRARD (1865-1937)”, this
piece is numbered (70048) on the base. The
original casts are today housed at the
Musée d’Orsay, having been donated in 1981 by Mr
Jean-Marie Desbordes, a descendant of the sculptor.
According to Véronique Fromanger, only six copies of
this bronze were executed, each of which is numbered
and has been part of some very illustrious collections,
including Pablo Acosto’s in Buenos Aires, Adrien
Hébrard’s collection in Paris or indeed, that of Alain
Delon. Bearing the number 3, our specimen was listed
in the 1925 and 1927 inventories of the Maison Jansen,
specializing in interior decoration, and located at the
Rue Royale in Paris. Our horses, full of energy, are realistically
represented thanks to the chisel of Rembrandt
Bugatti, a skillful connoisseur of the anatomy of animals.
The young Rembrandt, son of cabinetmaker and
designer Carlo, and brother of the famous automobile
USEFUL INFO
Where ? Senlis
When ? 14 octobre
Who ? Hôtel des ventes de Senlis auction house
How much ? €266,200
AUCTION RESULTS THE MAGAZINE
Rembrandt Bugatti (1884-1916),
"Jument et son poulain au trot" , c. 1907,
patinated bronze, signed R. Bugatti
and numbered (3),
39 x 90 x 24,5 cm.
manufacturer, demonstrated a passion for animal sculpture
since his boyhood. Upon moving to Paris in 1904,
Rembrandt Bugatti signed an exclusive contract with
the founder Adrien Hébrard. After observing the
animals at the Jardin des Plantes, in 1907 Rembrandt
Bugatti left for Belgium where he spent time studying
the wildlife at the Antwerp zoo, the largest in Europe at
the time. With an innate sense of proportion, Bugatti
captures the power of the horses and the dynamism of
their movement in space. After a fierce contest
between those present at the auction and a number of
telephone bidders, this piece surpassed the estimated
sale price with ease and went to an enthusiastic
collector. Chantal Humbert
N° 19 I GAZETTE DROUOT INTERNATIONAL
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