Antique 19th Century Bronze Figure Sculpture of Arabian Horse "Cheval Debout" By Christope Fratin








$650.00
Or Best OfferA magnificent antique mid-19th century finely crafted with exceptional skill and attention to detail. French bronze sculpture "Cheval Debout" by Christope Fratin.
This extraordinary piece features a proud standing Arab stallion with its tail and head lifted in an alert pose, meticulously hand-chiseled to reveal the finest anatomical details, including the veins and musculature. The craftsmanship is exceptional, and the sculpture exudes a sense of power and grace that is truly awe-inspiring.
The artist initially signed the statue on a small bronze plaque attached to a marble base, which has gone missing, leaving the sculpture unsigned.
MEASUREMENTS:
Overall length from the horse's nose to the end of its tail: 16.5 cm (6.5 inches)
Height: 14.2cm (5.59 inches)
Weight: 801 grams
CONDITION: It is in very good condition with an old patina.
Christopher Fratin, French artist 1801 ~ 1864 also known as Christophe Fratin, was a noted French sculptor in the animalier style, and one of the earliest French sculptors to portray animals in bronze. Fratin was born in Metz, Moselle, France the son of ataxidermist. He first studied drawing under Pioche in Metz and later worked in Paris at the studio of Théodore Géricault.
He exhibited at the Paris Salon from 1831–1842 and 1850–1862, as well as at the Great Exhibition in London in 1851. Fratin never signed his bronzes but instead used a stamp showing his last name in straight block letters. One of the stamps he used (pictured) showed the "n" reversed, not by design but due to an error on the part of the maker of the stamp. Bronzes bearing this stamp have the appearance of not seeming to be genuine when in reality this foible is actually an indicator of authenticity.
Fratin received monumental commissions in France and elsewhere, including the Deux Aigles Gardant Leur Proie (Eagles and Prey, created 1850) displayed since 1863 in New York City's Central Park. Many of his small bronzes, including his miniature bronzes which were more affordable due to their smaller size, were sold commercially to the general public during his lifetime. Today, Fratin's sculpture is on permanent display in the Louvre, the city museums of Metz, Lyon, Strasbourg, Nîmes and at the Peabody Institute in Baltimore, Maryland. The Georg Eisler archive in Vienna also has works on display by Fratin.
A number of Fratin's pieces portray horses, especially portraits of famous horses such as Fermer, cheval anglais pur-sang, a wax of which he debuted at the Salon of 1831, the same exhibition in which Barye's Tigre dévorant un gavial was featured.
At Montrouge Square in Paris appears a colossal bronze group standing 2 meters high entitled