Stamped on horse and rider: Maquette Française sur Armature Articulée / Brevetée S.G.D.G. / Paris B Deposée

French School (19th Century) A rare articulated walnut maquette of a horse and rider Wood, leather, and metal 30-1/2 x 31 x 10-1/2 inches (77.5 x 78.7 x 26.7 cm) Stamped on horse and rider: Maquette Française sur Armature Articulée / Brevetée S.G.D.G. / Paris B Deposée The present work is a rare surviving example of an artist's maquette, a complete equestrian set with both horse and rider. It is believed that mannequins have been used by artists as anatomical aids since antiquity, and while there is little evidence to support such ancient origins, there are nearly endless records of their use during the Renaissance, when they were employed by some of the most talented artists in history, among them Michelangelo and Fra Bartolomeo. Their use continued, and by the mid-to-late 18th century and into the 19th century, major artistic institutions in England and France were commissioning increasingly elaborate and expensive figures. Nineteenth-century manufacturers updated the centuries-old form, and the top makers, located in Paris, produced the most lifelike examples, which were retailed by art supply stores and artists' studios, where they served as vital tools allowing artists to manipulate and study the form to compose the most realistic racing scenes and equestrian portraits. The figures of horse and rider, carved from walnut and other fruit woods, were offered with adjustable iron or brass joints to facilitate movement, connecting to each other and the base via a series of small metal dowels. The neck of the horse, one of the most fluid areas and a major focal point, employed leather bands for more precise articulation. Rarities today, models such as these were highly sought-after and remarkably expensive when new. Period advertisements list the price of a model horse as £6, the equivalent of over £900 in 2024, a sum that included only the model horse, stand, and box. The male rider cost an additional £2, or over £300 today (J. Munro, Silent Partners: Artist and Mannequin from Function to Fetish, Cambridge and New Haven, Connecticut, 2014, p. 154, fig. 167). Why such a kingly sum? Simply put, an articulated model was the only way to freeze the positioning of a horse in motion. The equine form has dominated, and baffled, artistic experiment since antiquity, but it was not until the photographic studies of Eadweard Muybridge in the late 1870s that their mechanics were truly pinned down. Before this, artists were limited to observational study, a difficult feat when viewing a horse at practically any pace, and completely impossible at speed. An average horse at the gallop, a four-beat gait and their fastest, travels around 30 miles per hour. A modern racehorse hovers closer to 40; they fly past in the blink of an eye, jumps are taken in a single second. Even the most talented of artists could not hope to capture in that time an accurate view of what muscles are engaged, the minute movements of both horse and rider. A properly articulating maquette, considerable anatomical knowledge of both man and mount, and ideally a history as a horseman oneself, comprised the exhaustive background work that went into the creation of accurate equestrian pictures. While Muybridge finally answered the age-old question of whether all four of a horse's hooves leave the ground when it gallops (they do), this method, and the articulated model, remained relevant in the years before photography found widespread usage. This maquette represents a vital, but often overlooked, piece in the history of artistic production. Its use allowed the creation of endless compositions, from equine portraits and sporting pictures to dramatic mythological scenes and historic battles. The dog may be man's best friend, but the horse has served as our noble steed for centuries, and his elegant form, breathtaking speed, and fiery temperament have provided some of our greatest inspiration. HID12401132022 © 2024 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved

Presents very well. The work is comprised of 3 pieces, the horse, rider, and wooden base with attached iron rod. The horse rests on the base via a dowel hole under its belly. The rider rests atop the horse in the same fashion via another dowel hole on its back. Joints articulate as they should with varying degrees of mobility. A few minor surface abrasions and very faint scratches. A small circular repair on the horse's proper right buttock. A few instances of cracking and splitting to leather rings of the neck. Minor dust accumulation in the recesses. Some natural inclusions and grain variations visible in the wood as expected with the medium. Please note that the dimensions listed above are inclusive of the base and were taken with the horse's legs at rest underneath him and not fully extended.