Lot 124: Henri Weigèle (French, 1858-1927)

Diana
signed 'H. Weigèle' (on the left shoulder)
gilt bronze and marble
height: 28 1/2 in. (72.4 cm.)
height of green marble base: 6 3/4 in. (17.1 cm.)

Henri Weigèle's Diana illustrates the remarkable combination of marble and gilt bronze that would become the artist's speciality. Born in Schlierbach in 1858, Weigèle later traveled to Paris to study sculpture under the artist Jules Franceschi. Following his tenure with Franceschi, Weigèle went on to be awarded an Honorable Mention at the Salon in 1893, to be followed by a third class medal in 1907 and a first class medal in 1909.

Weigèle's work often depicts mythological figures in keeping with the Classical tradition that he learned in Paris from Franceschi. The present work depicts one of the twelve Olympian gods, Diana, sister to Apollo and initially known as the protector of wild life. Diana would later be known as the moon goddess, Luna, and is typically depicted wearing the upturned crescent moon upon her head, as in the present work. The Romans would later worship her as a triple deity, as the goddess of the earth, sky and the underworld.

Another version of Weigèle's Diana is on display at the New Orleans Museum of Art, and a companion work, of the goddess Athena, is housed in the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool. These dramatic creations were intended to recall the grand style of 18th Century sculpture.