Neo-Classical Bronze Sculpture of Minerva, on black marble pedestal base with frieze of cupid within, Grand Tour style, 19th century, 14" tall, fine detail, unsigned, excellent..........Biography from Sotheby's New YorkThe Frenchman Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi (1834-1904) was, in his lifetime, considered one of French statuary's most eminent representatives. He was made a Commander of the Legion of Honour in 1887 and awarded the Medal of Honour at the 1895 Salon.The importance of his career cannot be disassociated from modern New York life, with his most seminal works scattered throughout the city, such as the Statue of Liberty, and the full-size figure of Marquis de Lafayette located in Union Square Park.Born in Colmar, in the Alsace region of France, Bartholdi moved to Paris with his mother and brother after the death of his father in 1836. The family retained their home in Colmar, which would continue to hold a special place in Bartholdi's heart.Bartholdi studied architecture at the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts; he also studied painting and accompanied Jean-Léon Gérome, the famed Orientalist painter, to Egypt in 1855. The grandiose natural landscape and monumental ancient ruins were to leave an indelible mark on Bartholdi and on the scale and style of his work.When the Franco-Prussian War began in 1870, Bartholdi became a platoon leader in the National Guard as well as an aide to the Italian condottiere Garibaldi; Garibaldi headed the Vosges Army which continued fighting after the Sedan defeat and the collapse of the Second Empire.While the hostilities extended for only 9 months, the effect of the war was searing for Bartholdi: Colmar was annexed by the Germans, and would remain under their control until after World War I. The loss of his hometown was a catalyst in the sculptor's life.In a letter written in 1885, he referenced his feelings of despair in 1871 frankly: "The war over, I couldn't return to the country of my birth, Alsace, from which the Germans had excluded me; in Paris the Commune was strong and the civil war raging. After a short stay in Switzerland, I decided to make a trip to forget my sad impressions of the year which I had lived emptily, and the idea came to me to visit America."

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