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Edme Anthony NOEL French Art Deco Bronze Retiary Sculpture, 1875
$12,000
£9,130.24
€10,519.90
CA$17,036.24
A$18,276.84
CHF 9,803.32
MX$220,050.72
NOK 123,582.38
SEK 112,690.01
DKK 78,597.69
About the Item
French 19th-Century Bronze Sculpture of a Retiarius by Edmé-Anthony-Paul Noël (Tony Noël), France, circa 1875.
This powerful and finely modeled French bronze sculpture depicts a Retiarius gladiator and was created by Edmé-Anthony-Paul Noël (1845–1909), known as Tony Noël, one of the most accomplished academic sculptors of late 19th-century France. Cast circa 1875, this work is signed “Tony Noël” on the base (see photo) and represents one of the reduced bronze editions of his celebrated composition Le Rétiaire.
The original plaster version of this sculpture (Salon no. 3074) was awarded the First Class Medal at the Paris Salon of 1874, a major distinction that firmly established Noël’s reputation. Recognizing its success, the artist later presented the work in bronze at the Salon of 1875 (no. 3306), in a monumental version cast by Matifat and measuring approximately 110 cm. That large bronze was acquired by the City of Paris and installed in the Square du Temple in 1877, where it remained until it was tragically melted down in 1942 under the Vichy regime, along with many other public bronzes.
The sculpture captures the Retiarius at the moment of maximum tension: leaning forward, muscular body fully engaged, arms sweeping from left to right as he prepares to cast his net, head turned toward his opponent with an intense, focused gaze. Noël’s anatomical mastery is evident in the dynamic posture and the expressive rendering of raw physical strength.
Historically accurate details heighten the realism and drama of the figure. The gladiator wears only a leather belt and headband, with no tunic, subligaculum, galerus, or manica—deliberately discarded to allow freedom of movement. Barefoot and in direct contact with the sand of the arena, he embodies pure force, agility, and tension, distilled into bronze with remarkable vitality.
About Tony Noël (Edmé-Anthony-Paul Noël)
Edmé-Anthony-Paul Noël, known as Tony Noël, was born in Paris on January 24, 1845, and died in 1909 in Villebon-sur-Yvette. He trained at the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts under Eugène Guillaume, Eugène-Louis Lequesne, and Jules Cavelier, and won the Prix de Rome in 1868 for Theseus Conquering the Minotaur.
Noël debuted at the Salon des Artistes Français in 1872, earning a Second Class Medal, followed by a First Class Medal in 1874, a Second Class Medal at the Exposition Universelle of 1878, and a Grand Prize at the Exposition Universelle of 1889. From 1891 onward, he exhibited regularly at the Salon de la Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts and was appointed Professor of Modeling at the École des Beaux-Arts in 1905.
His work is represented in numerous public collections and monuments throughout France and abroad, including Paris (Louvre Palace, Père-Lachaise Cemetery, Square du Temple, Grand Palais), Versailles, Chantilly, Le Havre, Dunkirk, and Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon). His oeuvre encompasses monumental public sculpture, allegorical figures, portrait busts, and dynamic historical compositions, placing him among the leading sculptors of the French Third Republic.
A rare and historically significant example of 19th-century French academic bronze sculpture, this Retiarius is of exceptional interest to collectors of French sculpture, classical subjects, and Salon artists, as well as institutions seeking works with strong provenance and art-historical importance.
Measurements:
Height: 55.5 cm (21.85 in)
Width: 49.6 cm (19.5 in)
Depth: 27 cm (10.6 in)
- Creator:Edme Anthony Paul Noel (Sculptor)
- Dimensions:Height: 21.86 in (55.5 cm)Width: 19.53 in (49.6 cm)Depth: 10.63 in (27 cm)
- Style:Napoleon III (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:19th century
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Saint-Amans-des-Cots, FR
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU2312348252682
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