Press Release Paris

The Fabius Frres collection

in association with

The Fabius Frres Gallery collection

Sothebys is pleased to announce, in association with the auction house PIASA, the sale of the Fabius Frres Gallery collection on the 26th and 27th October 2011 in Paris. The 400 sculptures, pieces of furniture, works of art, drawings and 19th century paintings, estimated to sell in the region of 10 million ($14,5 million), will be on view at the Galerie Charpentier for five days prior to the sale. The Fabius Frres Gallery is known worldwide for the exceptional quality, condition and provenance of the works of art in their collection.

Franois Fabius (1944-2006) Franois Fabius was born in Bourg-en-Bresse in 1944. His father belonged to a great antique-dealing dynasty; his mother was a keen equestrian. Franois would inherit his mothers love of horses and his fathers passion for antiques. He was man of conviction, and excelled in both fields. This family background led him first into the showjumping arena. Franois was precociously talented, become French Junior Champion in 1961, then the Champion of France in 1962, and went on to represent France at the Munich Olympics in 1972. It was through equestrianism that he met his future wife, Armelle, in Canada in 1968; they married in 1971 and had two daughters, Sophie and Marie. Although his show-jumping successes were a source of great satisfaction, Franois felt his long-term future lay elsewhere. At the age of 28, this graduate of the Ecole du Louvre decided to give up show-jumping and concentrate on his vocation in the field of art. In 1972 he joined the Paris antiques gallery directed since 1937 by his father Andr and uncles Pierre and Fernand, at 152 Boulevard Haussmann. Franois began as a trainee under his fathers eye, gradually finding his feet. He was following in the steps of his grandfather Elie; Francois hailed from a great line of antiques dealers. The family (originally from Lorraine) had successfully embraced the profession since 1882. Elie Fabius founded one of the most prestigious art galleries in Paris, and was one of the leading figures on the art market from 1882-1942. His passions included souvenirs of Napoleon and Lafayette, objects with historic provenance, and sculptures by Barye and Carpeaux. He also helped found what would become the Syndicat National des Antiquaires (French National Antique Dealers Association) in 1901. Franois Fabius inherited his grandfathers taste for 19th century works, especially bronzes by Barye and Carpeaux. Like his brother Laurent and sister Catherine, he had grown up surrounded by art since childhood, constantly furthering his knowledge to become an expert and professional of great renown. After his fathers death, in 1984, he continued to work with his uncles and take part in international fairs. His stand at the 2004 Paris Biennale, designed by Franois-Joseph Graf, was one of the most spectacular at the fair, and showcased a very rare bronze Vase des Titans designed by Carrier-Belleuse and sculpted by Rodin. Franois was an enlightened gallery-owner and a recognized specialist in the history of art, and especially in 19th century bronzes, continually seeking out these works and acquiring some outstanding examples. Most of these rigorously selected items can now be found in leading collections and prominent museums in France and America. The 19th century suffered from a political judgement that condemned Napoleon III. You werent allowed to talk about the period. Now, with the passing of another generation, one can at last re-appreciate the 19th century in all its opulence, as epitomized by the collections of the Rothschilds, Pereires and Princess Mathilde, declared Franois Fabius. He delighted in presenting pieces from this under-estimated period, whose popularity he helped rekindle with such brio, developing a branch within his gallery, which contributed to the expansion and international reputation of Fabius Frres. Since his premature death in August 2006, Armelle Fabius has pursued his work with an enthusiasm worthy of this great antique-dealer dynasty. With the passing of Franois Fabius we lose [...] one of those exceptional figures destined to embody, at the highest level, the perfect balance of mind and body, and the all too rare balance of classical art and that other, no less noble art, equestrianism []. Few men in history have managed to develop their passion to such a radiant level, with such elegance, courage and rigour, while remaining sensitive and attentive to the signals of their time.
Homage to Franois Fabius: renaud donnedieu de Vabres, 14 august 2006

A unique collection
The Fabius Frres collection is undoubtedly the most important ensemble of 19th century sculpture ever to be offered at auction. It consists predominantly of works by the most original and significant sculptors of the period: AntoineLouis Barye (17951875) and JeanBaptiste Carpeaux (182775). Carpeauxs important marble group Daphnis & Chloe is a sculptural masterpiece. It was made in 1874 during the sculptors twoyear stay in England, where he took refuge in the turbulent aftermath of the Paris Commune. Alexander Hugh Baring, 4th Baron Ashburton, commissioned Carpeaux to make this large mythological marble group in 1873. It illustrates a passage from Longus idyll Daphnis & Chloe and was made as a pendant to Canovas famous marble Cupid & Psyche (now in the Louvre), which then adorned Lord Ashburtons London residence at Bath House, in Piccadilly. Carpeaux began modelling the group in plaster in 1873. It was not until July 1874 that Carpeaux began sculpting the marble group. It was delivered to Lord Ashburton on 8 January 1875. Daphnis & Chloe perfectly expresses Carpeauxs virtuoso talent for modelling form and sculpting marble: he brings the stone to life, combining graceful movement with the sensuality of his intimate subject (estimate 1,000,000-1,500,000 / $1,448,000-2,172,000). The collection also includes an autograph plaster version of Carpeauxs Ugolino & His Sons. Carpeaux chose the dramatic episode from Dantes Inferno as the subject for the large-scale composition he was required to make during his time as a student at Romes Villa Medici in 1860/1. It depicts the moment when Ugolino, condemned to death by starvation, resolves to devour his children (est 50,000-70,000 / $72,400-101,350) Shortly after Carpeauxs return to Paris, the state commissioned a monumental bronze version of this subject which was exhibited at the Salon of 1863; it was subsequently installed in the Tuileries Gardens as a pendant to the monumental bronze of the Laocoon and is now in the Muse dOrsay. A full-size marble version, signed and dated Jbte Carpeaux Roma 1860, was made for the 1867 Exposition Universelle, and is now in the Metropolitan Museum, New York. More than six plaster and terracotta versions composed of three to five figures exist in public collections, including a terracotta version in the Louvre. In 1865, at the request of architect Charles Garnier (1825-98), Carpeaux produced his most famous monumental group for the faade of the Paris Opera. La Danse was intended to complement three other allegorical sculptures: Lyrical Drama by Jean-Joseph Perraud (181976); Music by Eugene Guillaume (18221905); and Harmony by Franois Jouffroy (180682). The 2ft-high (61cm) autograph plaster model to be offered here shows the composition at an important point in its evolution: here the Genius of Dance is shown with feminine features; in the final version, the Genius is depicted as a man (est. 80,000-120,000 / $115,850-173,750) Carpeauxs marble bust Candour, was inspired by the features of his wife, Amelie de Montfort. It appeared in the Carpeaux sale on 29 April 1873, when it was bought by Madame Carpeaux herself. This exceptional bust is remarkable for its very sensitive modelling and delicate expression (est. 100,000-150,000). The collection also includes the plaster model for the bust, made by Carpeaux in 1867 (est. 60,000-80,000 / $86,900-115,850). Amelie was 22 at the time of their marriage in 1869, roughly half Carpeauxs age. She lent her features to several of Carpeaux works, notably Temperance, made for the church of La Trinit in Paris in 1865; Hope (1868) an 1873 marble version of which appears in our auction (est. 70,000-100,000 / $101,350-144,800) La Fiance (1869), represented by a terracotta version in the Fabius Frres collection (est. 40,000-60,000 / $57,900-86.900). Other busts of exceptional quality include LEspigle, a marble from 1865 (est. 70,000-100,000 / $101,350-144,800); and the plaster original of La Rieuse aux Roses from 1872 (est. 50,00070,000 / $72,400 -101,350).

AntoineLouis Barye, is represented by 51 bronzes, all cast during his lifetime. One of the highlights is Theseus and The Minotaur, a seminal version in bronze with attractive brown patina, stamped Barye and numbered 2. This superb cast belonged to Antoine-Marie dOrlans, Duc de Montpensier, the Infante of Spain (182490), before entering the collections of the King of Portugal (est. 200,000-300,000 / $289,600-434,400). Barye illustrates the story of Theseus and the Minotaur from Ovids Metamorphoses, a combat symbolizing the battle between Good and Evil. It is a virtuoso rendering of a key moment during this epic confrontation, with the tense, muscular figure of Theseus carefully aiming his sword at the Minotaur. Variants can be found in the Baltimore Museum of Art (U.S.A.) and the Muse Bonnat in Bayonne (southwest France). Another Barye masterpiece in the Fabius Frres Collection is his Charging Elephant, a unique work cast in 1832 by Honor Gonon & Sons. This was the first major work by Barye to be collected by a member of the ruling House of Orlans. It was acquired by the Duke of Nemours and lent by him to the Salon of 1834 (est. 300,000-500,000 / $434,400-724,000). Elephant Crushing a Tiger hails from the David Weill Collection. This is the chef-modle cast in Baryes own foundry and is a classic example of Baryes concern for detail (est. 150,000250,000 / $217,200-362,000 ). The collection also includes an extremely fine cast of Tiger Devouring a Gavial from circa 1845 (est. 50,000-70,000 / $72,400 -101,350). At the Salon of 1831 the plaster model enjoyed unanimous acclaim from the critics and partisans of both of Academic art and Romanticism. Its audacious depiction of the subject demonstrates Baryes vivid imagination and his ability to observe, and transcend, the violence of the animal kingdom.

The sales furniture combines 18th century neo-classicism with 19th century exuberance. The sale includes magnificent neo-classical furniture, dating from Louis XIV to the First Empire. Fabius Frres were advocates of 19th century furniture and that century is represented bt works by eminent cabinet-makers such as Groh and Diehl, as well as Dufins unusual neo-Renaissance furniture. The sale includes a Louis XIV ormolu-mounted kingwood- and palissander-veneered commode attributed Andr-Charles Boulle (c.1710). With its decoration of skilful frieze-work and sumptuous, original gilt-bronze mounts, this counts as one of Boulles most accomplished commode designs. The sober patterning of alternating concentric motifs to the front-drawers, and heart-shaped motifs to the top and sides, is a departure from the exuberant floral marquetry for which Boulle is best known. The virtuoso stringing and end-cut marquetry lend the veneer a pictorial feel, while the stringing in ebony and light wood around each drawer heightens the impression of relief and creates an illusion of depth (est. 300,000-500,000 / $434,400-724,000). Sumptuous gilt-bronze mounts, typical of Boulle, underline the commodes powerful architecture. he commode, which seems borne aloft by generous scrolls of acanthus leaves, was designed with five feet: an aesthetic, rather than technical, solution, as shown by a preparatory Boulle drawing now in the Paris Muse des Arts Dcoratifs. Two Svres porcelain Medici vases from 1811 epitomise Napoleonic prestige and the genius of Alexandre Brongniart, who helped give the Svres factory a new lease of life at the start of the 19th century. They are of outstanding interest due to their exceptional production quality, rare subject-matter, historic interest, virtuoso tortoiseshell grounds, powerful gold ornament and prestigious provenance (est. 500,000-800,000 / $724,000-1.158.450).

The scenes painted by JeanFranois Robert on these tortoiseshell-ground Medici vases are particularly accomplished. Although some less prestigious ceramics show the imperial family at leisure or at their various homes, such scenes seldom appear on vases which were usually decorated with official portraits, military subjects or allegorical scenes. It was doubtless Brongniart who, with an eye on Napoleons political Public Relations, chose the subjects for these vases, cleverly exploiting Svres latest technical innovations and Roberts outstanding talent as a figure- and landscape-painter. One vase shows Napoleon in a carriage with MarieLouise, in front of the Palace of St-Cloud, where their civil marriage had taken place a few months earlier. The other vase shows Napoleon on a grey horse in the hills of Bellevue/ Meudon, about to go hunting. He is flanked by four tall dignitaries in the gold-trimmed green uniforms of the Imperial Hunt sporting the star of the Lgion dHonneur. Tortoiseshell grounds first appeared at Svres in 1790. They were used in 1800 on the Cordelier vases (now in the Louvre) supplied for the Palace of St-Clouds Gallery of Apollo in 1802; and then in 1803 for Napoleons Service Ecaille at the Tuileries Palace (two plates from this service are now in the Palace of Fontainebleau). An ebonized and ebony-veneered Louis XVI secrtaire abattant with floral marquetry, stamped C.Topino, was originally part of an ensemble (along with commode and table) commissioned by the Duc de Lorges in the late 18th century (est. 80,000-120,000 / $115,850-173,750). With its stylish decoration of bands of grey wood and flowers (as the contemporary description had it), this secretaire is unusual in Topinos uvre, which is sometimes mistakenly thought to concern little more bonheurs du jour (ladies writing desks) with marquetry featuring everyday utensils. The secretaire was part of a three piece an ensemble owned by Louis de Durfort Civrac, Duc de Lorges. After his death in 1775 in his Paris town-house on Rue de Svres, the ensemble was inherited first by his widow, then by their son-in-law, Renaud Csar de Choiseul-Praslin. The three-piece ensemble was doubtless considered of purely domestic use, as it survived the French Revolution intact and was mentioned in 1808, when it was brought back to Paris from St-Germain-en-Laye after the death of Guyonne de Lorges, Dowager Duchess of ChoiseulPraslin. The table, adorned with the CL monogram of Civrac de Lorges, was sold at Sothebys Paris (Lon Lvy Collection) on 2 October 2008; the commode is currently in a private collection. Glass and ceramics hold pride of place amongst the sales decorative arts with numerous pieces of richly varied design. Highlights include striking, refined works by Thodore Deck, Eugne Collinot, Maurice Marinot and others.

The Fabius Collection also features a fascinating group of 19th century drawings and offers connoisseurs a rare opportunity to acquire works on paper by the sculptors Antoine-Louis Barye and Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux. There will be two Barye watercolours, Lioness Devouring a Gazelle and Study of a Panther Attacking its Prey (est. 30,000-40,000 / $43,400-57,900 apiece); and several portraits by JeanBaptiste Carpeaux, including his Portrait of Bruno Chrier (est. 15,000-20,000 / $21,700-28,950). A final sale highlight is Jean Brauds A la Salle Graffard, a spectacular canvas from 1884 showing a political meeting, with an anarchist orator ending his speech to triumphant acclaim from an audience shrouded in tobacco smoke. This is an unusual subject for Braud, reflecting a little-known aspect of his artistic output. Although best-known for his worldly portrayals of elegant females and scenes from the Belle Epoque, Braud also painted working-class scenes and episodes from everyday life, invariably imbued with a concern for historical accuracy (est. 350,000-500,000 / $506,800-724,000).

Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux (1827-1875)

Ugolin et ses enfants Plaster, signed, old print retouched by the artist
50,000-70,000 $72,400-101,350

Sothebys / ArtDigital Studio

Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux (1827-1875)

La Candeur, 1873 Marble bust, signed and dated, on a red marble base
100,000-150,000 $144,800-217,200

Sothebys / ArtDigital Studio

Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux (1827-1875)

LEsprance, 1873
White marble bust, signed and dated, on a red marble plinth

70,000-100,000 $101,350-144,800

Sothebys / ArtDigital Studio

Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux (1827 - 1875)

Daphnis et Chlo
An exceptional marble of Daphnis et Chlo, signed and dated 1874, on a painted wooden plinth

1,000,000-1,500,000 $1.448,000-$2,172,000

Sothebys / ArtDigital Studio

Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux (1827-1875)

Le Pcheur la coquille La Jeune fille la coquille

An important pair of marbles, signed and dated, on richly decorated oak bases by Carpeaux, signed and dated 1873

Sothebys / ArtDigital Studio

800,000-1,200,000 $1,158,450-1,728,000

Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux (1827-1875)

La Rieuse aux roses Le Rieur aux pampres

A pair of terra cotta busts, signed, the first one numbered 2078, the second one 2149

15,000-25,000 $21,700-36,200

Sothebys / ArtDigital Studio

An exceptionnal pair of Svres hard-paste porcelain Mdicis vases, second size, painted with Napolon at Bellevue and Saint-Cloud on tortoise-shell ground, one dated 1811, signed by Jean-Franois Robert

500,000-800,000 $724,000-1,158,450 An exceptionnal pair of Svres hard-paste porcelain Mdicis vases, second size, painted with Napolon at Bellevue and SaintCloud on tortoise-shell ground, one dated 1811, signed by JeanFranois Robert estimate : 500,000-800,000 / $724,000-1,158,450

Sothebys / ArtDigital Studio

Antoine-Louis Barye (1795-1875)

Tigre dvorant un gavial, vers 1845

bronze, brown patina, signed, on a moulding black marble base 50,000-70,000 $72,400-101,350

Sothebys / ArtDigital Studio

Antoine-Louis Barye (1795-1875)

lphant crasant un tigre, chef-modle

Bronze, brown patina, on an oval wooden base

150,000-250,000 $217,200-362,200

Sothebys / ArtDigital Studio

An ebonised, ebony and flower marquetry secrtaire abattant, Louis XVI, stamped C. TOPINO

80,000-120 000 $115,800-173,750

Sothebys / ArtDigital Studio

Jean Braud (1845-1935)

la salle Graffard
Signed and dated 1884 Oil on canvas

350,000-500,000 $506,800-724,000

Sothebys / ArtDigital Studio

Antoine Louis Barye (1795-1875)

tude de panthre attaquant une proie

Stamped with the Vildieu-Barye stamp (L.3631) lower right under the mount ; Watercolour an pencil on paper

Antoine Louis Barye (1795-1875)

Lion dvorant une gazelle

Signed lower left and stamped with the red wax stamp at the reverse ; watercolour

30,000-40,000 $43,400-57,900

30,000-40,000 $43,400-57,900

Sothebys / ArtDigital Studio

Sothebys / ArtDigital Studio

in association with

The Fabius Frres Gallery collection

Auction: Wednesday 26 and Thursday 27 October 2011
Sothebys France - Galerie Charpentier 76, rue du faubourg Saint-Honor 75008 Paris

A SELECTION OF THE SALE HIGHLIGHTS WILL BE EXHIBITED: Monaco, Htel de Paris Sothebys Paris Hong Kong at Sothebys 4 August - 7 August 2011 10 September - 20 September 30 September - 5 October 2011

THE WHOLE COLLECTION WILL BE EXHIBITED: Sothebys Paris 21 October - 25 October 2011

PRESS CONTACTS Sothebys Paris Sophie Dufresne Tl.: +33 (0)1 53 05 53 66 sophie.dufresne@sothebys.com

PIASA Isabelle de Puysegur Tl./fax : +33 (0)1 45 49 17 97 i.puysegur@wanadoo.fr