A FRENCH PATINATED BRONZE FIGURAL GROUP: PLUTO ABDUCTING PROSERPINE
After Francois Girardon, circa 1700
On a faux bronze base.
height of bronze 22in (56cm); height overall 25in (63.5cm)
Footnotes:
François Girardon (French, 1628-1715) was a sculptor widely regarded for his statuary in the gardens of Versailles. Girardon lived and apprenticed in Rome for a period, and although the artist preferred classicism and ancient Roman sculpture, he often worked in the Baroque style.

Louis XIV commissioned Girardon to create one of four monumental marble groups intended to decorate the corners of Charles Le Brun's never-completed garden at Versailles, the Parterre d'Eau. Each group of three figures symbolized one of the four elements: earth, air, water, and fire. Pluto's association with Hell made him an apt symbol of fire.
Girardon's marble was reproduced as a small bronze from the late seventeenth century onwards.

This figural group exemplifies the movement, vibrancy, and energy highly regarded at the time. Girardon's design is perfected by not only the twist of the composition, but also the classical clarity of the figures.

The Wallace collection in London, the Louvre, and the Getty Museum in Malibu own identical pieces.

Provenance
Michel Meyer Antiquaire, Paris, 18 February 1983.