“Berger Allemand Couché” German Shepherd Bronze Sculpture by Albert Laplanche

J. CLINTON SHEPHERD United States, 1888-1975 "The Desert Rat" (1928) Patinated bronze signed "(c) 1928 J. CLINTON SHEPHERD", cold stamped "GORHAM CO FOUNDERS QGCB" Item # 405KOB04A An exceedingly rare cast of J. Clinton Shepherd's study of a Western miner and his pack mule titled "The Desert Rat", it features a tired old-timer with his worn and weathered features trodding along with his pickaxe resting on top of the full pack and a sturdy walking stick in his other hand. The sheer rarity of the cast perhaps is due to the timing of his model, which was modeled in 1928 and started production at Gorham almost in sync with the beginning of the Great Depression. Shepherd saw his income from sculpture dwindle to such a degree that he was forced to begin illustrating thriller novels during the 1930s. The only other model we have seen on the open market was offered at Christie's in New York on November 30th of 1990 (lot 86) with an estimate of $ 10-15,000. An example of this sculpture is recorded in the Smithsonian American Art Museum index of American Art as being preserved in the permanent collection of the University of Delaware (acc. no. 64.2.007); it is also held in the Birmingham Museum of Art (acc. no. 1978.41). Joy Clinton Shepherd was born on September 11, 1888, in Des Moines, Iowa, to Charles and Emma Shepherd. He was the third of five children, and his family lived on Twenty-third Street. His father, a men's suit salesman, enabled Joy to attend college after high school. Joy studied at the University of Missouri at Kansas City before leaving in 1909 to travel to the Northwest with his brother, where they lived with the Crow Indians and learned their customs. In 1910, Joy moved to Chicago and enrolled at the Art Institute of Chicago where he graduated in 1914. He subsequently studied at the Beaux-Arts Institute of Design and afterwards worked as a freelance artist. He married Gail English, a fellow art student, in 1915. In 1916, he joined the Illinois National Reserve as a bugler. Despite a hearing defect, he served until 1919 when he moved to New York City to work as a freelance artist for magazines like Colliers and The Saturday Evening Post. Joy adopted the signature "J. C. Shepherd" and found success throughout the 1920s. He and Gail moved to Westport, Connecticut, and had two children, Joy and Charles. In addition to illustration, he pursued a career as a sculptor of western bronzes. The Great Depression shifted his work to pulp magazine covers...

FRANZ ROSSE German, 1858-1900 "Orientalische Tänzerin mit Schalmei” (1888) Patinated bronze over rouge marble Signed verso "F. Rosse fec. 88" Item # 10...

A distinctly Art Deco modeling of a Stalking Panther with an overall mechanistic aesthetic, the sleek cat has been reduced to its most essential elements, almost an image of the shad...

EUGÉNE DELAPLANCHE French, 1836-1891 "La Danse" Medium-brown patinated bronze Signed in cast E. Delaplanche Incised "F. Barbedienne Fondeur Paris" & numbered 225; sealed with A. Collas reduction cachet 29 3/8" H x 8" D x 9 1/4" W This is a very fine casting of La Danse after the original model by Eugene Delaplanche and executed by the Ferdinand Barbedienne foundry in Paris circa 1890-1910. It is titled in Kjellberg's monumental work as Zéphyr and is noted as Fée Aux Fleurs (The Flower Fairy) in Berman's volumes. The sculpture depicts a young nymph as she gracefully spins on a smooth dirt path while her diaphanous dress spins around her body while the the wind catches the bottom and carries it wildly into the breeze. La Danse was initially exhibited at the Salon of 1886 as no. 3768 in plaster and the following year he exhibited the same model executed as Salon catalogue entry no. 4000, a life-size marble. His final exhibition of the model was it at the Paris Exposition Universelle of 1889. The sculpture was cast by Barbedienne in several editions, including 40 cm, 61.5 cm, 97 cm and 115 cm. The present example shows the careful attention of the ciseleur and shows beautiful chasing of the details. An attractive overall medium-golden-brown patina leaves the surface rich and full of life, being overall translucent and glowing throughout. Every detail is vivid, from the flowers and foliage held gently in her fingers, to the wrinkles of these fingers, her perfectly detailed face with a sharp little nose, eyes that are full of laughter and joy and a firm jaw. The naturalistic base is inscribed both "Delaplanche" and "F. Barbedienne Fondeur, Paris" and is numbered 225. EUGÉNE DELAPLANCHE Born in Belleville, France in February of 1836, Eugéne Delaplanche was a student of August Deligand and Francisque Joseph Duret...