Lot 165: Arthur-Marie-Gabriel, Comte Du Passage (1838-1909)

Arthur-Marie-Gabriel, Comte Du Passage (1838-1909)
Jument de chasse sanglée par un lad (Groom saddling a mare)
on naturalistic base signed 'A. du Passage'
bronze, rich mid-brown patina
9¾ in. (25 cm.) high; 20½ in. (52 cm.) wide; 8½ in. (21.5 cm.) deep

No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 15% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis.
The Comte du Passage initially pursued a military career in accordance with his family's expectations but indulged his natural talent for sculpture by studying under the famed animaliers Barye and Mêne and exhibiting at the Paris Salon from 1865-93. Mêne's influence is particularly evident is this charmingly animated group which shows a groom struggling to tie the saddle of a mare startled by a barking dog. This model was exhibited at the 1873 Salon and is illustrated in C. Payne, Animals in Bronze, Woodbridge, 1986, p. 307 and P. Kjellberg, Les Bronzes du XIXe siècle, Paris, 2005, p. 559.