M.S. Rau Figurative Sculptures

Emmanuel Frémiet 1824–1910 French Jeanne d’Arc Signed “E FREMIET” This commanding bronze of Jeanne d’Arc by Emmanuel Frémiet captures one of the most enduring symbols of French n...

Marius Jean Antonin Mercié French (1845-1916) David vainqueur de Goliath (David, Victor of Goliath) Signed “A. Mercié” (on base) Bronze This incredible bronze sculpture, entitled ...

Beautifully detailed and lifelike, Venus and Cupid share a soft embrace in this remarkable Italian white marble sculpture. The feminine beauty gracefully leans against roughened rock...

Marcel Début 1865–1933 French Fisher Boy Signed "Marcel Début" on base Patinated bronze A rare and visually dynamic example of late 19th-century French bronze sculpture, Fisher B...

Émile Pinedo 1840-1916 French Bronze Reliefs of Minerva and Mars Bronze These exceptional bronze reliefs depicting the Roman deities Minerva and Mars represent the pinnacle of 19...

Antoine-Louis Barye 1795-1875 French Tigre saissant un paon (Tiger seizing a peacock) Bronze Signed “BARYE” Modeled by famed French Romantic sculptor Antoine-Louis Barye, this r...

Pair of Bronze Busts of Queen Mary when Duchess of York William Henry Tyler Dated 1893 These rare and highly important bronze busts of the future Queen Mary, created in 1893 by the ...

This 17th-century bronze sculpture, likely hailing from southern Germany, depicts a scene of life-and-death struggle in nature — a hapless hare caught in the claws of a mighty panthe...

Vivien Mallock b.1945 British Sir Winston Churchill Signed “VM” and numbered "9/12" Bronze with a brown patina Winston Churchill stands as one of th...

Oscar Nemon 1906 - 1985 Croatian Sigmund Freud Signed “Nemon” Bronze resin This original bronze Sigmund Freud, the father of psychoanalysis, was crafted by renowned Croatian scul...

Augustus Saint-Gaudens 1848-1907 American Young Emperor Augustus Marble This extraordinary marble bust by revered American sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens is crafted in the class...

Émile Louis Bracquemond 1889-1970 French Panther Bronze This exquisite bronze sculpture of a panther was created by French sculptor Émile Louis Bracquemond. The artist was clearl...

Frederick William MacMonnies 1863–1937 American William Shakespeare Signed "F. MacMonnies" and foundry-marked "E. Gruet Jeune, Fondeur, Paris" Bronze Frederick William MacMonnies...

Terracotta Statue of Emperor Napoleon at St. Helena Circa 1825-1840 This exceptional terracotta statue of Napoleon Bonaparte on St. Helena stands as one of the earliest known depict...

Masterfully carved with remarkable detail, a youthful Saint John the Baptist folds his hands in prayer in this stunning marble by the important Italian sculptor Domenico Menconi. The...

"I am a true Roman Emperor; I am of the best race of the Caesars—those who are founders." –Napoleon Bonaparte, 1812 Among the most iconic and celebrated figures in history, Napoleon...

Ivor Roberts-Jones 1916-1996 British Sir Winston Churchill Numbered “132” (on base) Bronze with a brown patina on a stone base “My dear friends, this is your hour.” These were Wi...

This limestone bust of the Buddha presents a picture of serenity and grace. A rare and striking image, it was sculpted in 6th-century Northern China during the Qi dynasty...

Oscar Nemon 1906 - 1985 Croatian Married Love Signed “Nemon” (on reverse) Bronze resin with green patina This rousing and sentimental sculpture, commis...

Studio of Raffaello Romanelli Early 20th Century Italian Clio Inscribed "Executé sous la Direction du Prof. Romanelli" (on base) Marble Clio, the muse of history from Greek mytho...

Masquerade, a traditional yet playful composition by Fortunato Galli, reflects the realism and intricacy that defined Italian sculpture at the end of the 19th century. Magnificently ...

The legendary Greek god Perseus is the subject of this elegant half-bust by Ubaldo Gandolfi, a major painter and sculptor from Bologna. The son of Zeus and Danaë, Perseus was the le...

This monumental bust is a museum-quality example of Roman Baroque sculpture. Crafted by the legendary Domenico Guidi and carved from Carrara marble, the impressive portrait captures the visage of Pope Innocent XI, Benedetto Odescalchi (1611-1689). It presents a larger-than-life example of Guidi’s remarkable skill as a sculptor, which ultimately made his workshop one of the most important in Rome during his age. Today, his works are rarely found on the market, particularly his extraordinary works in marble. Pope Innocent XI was born Benedetto Odescalchi into an Italian noble family of prominent bankers. Spending his early years in banking, he eventually turned to the law, earning his doctorate in 1639. His background would serve him well in his service to the papacy, and he became known as a frugal and devout member of the Church. In 1676, he was unanimously elected Pop after the death of Clement X. During his nearly 13-year reign, he instilled his own personal ideals of austerity and frugality onto the Church, with a deep commitment to reform and piety. He is captured here by Guidi in his traditional Pope’s mozzetta and camauro cap. A wide stole is draped over his shoulders, ornamented by acanthus leaves and the coat of arms of the Odescalchi family. It displays Guidi’s mastery over the chiaroscuro effect, particularly in the high level of contrast in his cheeks and his eyes, which Guidi achieved through various methods of high polish. A very similar portrait sculpture of Pope Innocent XI by Guidi can be found in the collection of the Royal Castle in Warsaw. The Warsaw bust belongs to a series of portraits of popes which the Odescalchi family commissioned from Domenico Guidi in the 1690s. Compared to that example, the present bust is far more dramatic, with deeper cut lines and a more precise expression. It is likely that the present piece was seen by the Odescalchi family, who ordered a similar one to be made. The piece was almost certainly intended to be displayed in a niche, given its dramatic cutting and its roughly carved back. Others of Guidi’s busts can be found in important collections throughout Italy, England and the United States, though many of these are lesser bronze repetitions. A bronze bust of the Pope Alexander VIII by Guidi is currently in the collection of the Victoria & Albert Museum (London), while a terracotta version of the same is in the Los Angeles County Museum. A bronze of Pope Alexander VIII can be found in the Princely Collection of Lichtenstein, and his impressive marble papal bust of Clement IX graces the pope’s tomb in Santa Maria Maggiore. The present bust of Pope...

King Louis XIV, one of France's greatest monarchs, sits confidently astride a prancing steed in this bronze equestrian statue. The extraordinary work is a reduction of the portrait of the Sun King by François Girardon, one of the most noted and influential sculptors of the period. Looking back to the great masterpieces of antiquity, Girardon took his inspiration from the seminal ancient Roman marble of Marcus Aurelius, now in the Musei Capitoline (Rome). Louis XIV is thus portrayed here as a conquering Roman hero, his costume adorned with many neoclassical motifs, hand outstretched in a gesture of command. The result is an imposing royal portrait of power and absolute authority that pays homage to one of the most important sovereigns in French history. It was in 1685, at the very height of his rule, when Louis XIV commissioned the monumental bronze of himself from the great Girardon. As sculptor to the king, Girardon was a key figure in the decoration of the gardens at the Château de Versailles, and he was later commissioned to complete several important royal...

This highly evocative bronze by Vincenzo Vela captures the deposed Emperor Napoléon on his deathbed, holding a map of Europe and lost in thought about what might have been. Remarkable among most portrayals of the exiled leader, this highly detailed sculpture depicts Napoléon at his most vulnerable. Nonetheless, Vela perfectly captures his still-heroic bearing, which imparts to this work a monumental quality and quiet dignity. The mate to this figure is the colossal marble at the Musée du Château de Malmaison, which was shown at the Paris Salon of 1867. The founder of the verismo movement in Italy, Vela was one of the great exponents of realism in sculpture. Born in Ligornetto, Switzerland in 1820, he studied under celebrated sculptor, Benedetto Cacciatori. He was also influenced both by the work of Tuscan sculptor Lorenzo Bartolini, who seamlessly combined neoclassicism with naturalism and the romantic painting of Francesco Hayez...