FRATIN Christophe, attributed to, - Lot 121

FRATIN Christophe, attributed to, Rare pair of patinated bronze cups, featuring an animal scene depicting a turtle carrying a large stylized shell on a greenhouse, from which rises a coiled, sinuous and menacing snake. Signed: "Soyer et Ingé" founders (under the turtle). Louis-Claude-Ferdinand Soyer (1785-1854) H_22.5 cm L_14 cm Expert : Stéphane PEPE Comparative works: *Sale ROSSINI. 7, rue Rossini - 75009. Paris. April 13, 2023. Lot 17 A similar example is referenced in Michel Poletti & Alain Richarme's Fratin, objets décoratifs et sculptures romantiques (Univers du bronze, 2000, p. 32, no. 28). Louis-Claude-Ferdinand Soyer: A sand-smelter active from 1828, he came to prominence at the 1822 exhibition with his chasing work on a bronze of L'Amour after a Chaudet model. He then turned his attention to a colossal head of Olympian Jupiter, whose remarkable work earned him a contract in 1824 to chisel the famous silver proof of Bosio's Henri IV enfant (Odiot orfèvre, Jacquet mouleur du plâtre modèle). In 1828, he launched a state-of-the-art sand-casting facility that claimed to establish French superiority in the much-maligned field of art bronze. On the strength of this major order, Soyer, who didn't even have his own premises, was able to seek out a financial backer for his equipment. He found one in the person of a "rich capitalist" named Ingé. His bright, airy establishment, so large that two equestrian statues could easily be worked on at once, became the setting for some striking innovations. From then on, the ambitious apprentice chiseler of 1815 succeeded in his gamble and supplied the whole of Europe with monuments. All these innovations culminated in the feat of casting the capital of the July column (Place de la Bastille) and the winged figure of the Génie de la Liberté that crowns it, in a single jet. Expert : Stéphane PEPE