Jean-Leon Gerome (French, 1824-1904), Martyre Indienne

Patinated bronze, the reverse terrace with “Siot-Decauville Fondeur Paris” pastille and stamped "K410", and additional Siot foundry stamp to the obverse, mounted atop a conforming marble base.

Bronze 19 x 13 1/4 x 10 1/2 in.; including base 21 x 14 x 11 in.

Private Collection of a Gentleman, North Carolina

Jean-Leon Gerome is well-known for his paintings and sculptures in the Academic tradition, gaining significant notoriety during his lifetime. The son of a goldsmith, Gerome came to Paris in 1841 at the age of 16, and enrolled and the Ecole es Beaux-Arts soon thereafter. He studied with leading artists of the period, including Paul Delaroche (1797-1856), Claude Basel Cariage (1798-1875), and Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres (1780-1867). Gerome would remain very much connected to the strict Academic standards instilled during this time. Interestingly, Gerome did not venture seriously into sculpture until later in his life, at almost 50. He presented his first sculpture group Gladiateurs, at the Exposition of 1878. The body of his sculptural work, including genre scenes of the East, people, and allegories, were often based on the the same imagery found in his paintings, and would later win him the same prestige he enjoyed with his paintings.

Most of Gerome's works were cast in bronze of excellent quality by the founder Siot-Decauville, including this example of Martyre Indienne. A number of these bronzes were exhibited in 1974 by the Tanagre Gallery in Paris.

Literature: Kjellberg, Pierre. Bronzes of the 19th Century, Dictionary of Sculptors, (Atglen: Schiffer Publishing, Ltd., 1994), pgs. 358-359.

Some minor areas of rubbing to the patina; marble base with some small edge chips; old filled crack to marble underside with later mounting screws.