The Lion Tamer, Rare Art Deco Bronze By Jean Verschneider

Very beautiful bronze from the Art Deco period representing a lion tamer and signed on the terrace Verschneider for Jean Verschneider (1872-1943).
A bronze from the Art Deco period, quite rare on the market and masterfully made by Jean Verschneider, a famous sculptor at that time who was interested in many very varied fields:
the circus and fairground arts, mythology and allegories, the creation of automobile mascots, Jean Verschneider was a French sculptor.
His work was part of the sculpture competition of the art competition of the 1924 Summer Olympics.
and finally when we look closely we find here on this bronze some similarities with the work of Demeter Chiparus.
our bronze represents a lion tamer in stage costume probably performing a circus act his costume particularly studied taking up the art deco standards of the time and drawing largely from classical antiquity
We believe to see a gladiator or Persian warrior costume straight out of ancient Greece.
he is posted in a very virile attitude in contrapposto, the left arm stretched upwards and holding a whip, the right arm almost resting on the roaring lion at his side.
of course no one is careful enough and we see the man's gaze rest on the lion he dominates. nevertheless the sculptor knew how to restore not only the force which emanates from the two beings in this circus act but also their necessary communion.
a subject which is not easy to restore in sculpture without falling into excess towards the vulgar or the grotesque.
Here the two protagonists are superbly treated and form a beautiful duo the details of chiseling are very fine: look carefully at the face of the man and the details of his stage costume including the whip, but also the mouth of the lion and the way in which his fur is treated.
The patina is magnificent,
a brown patina tending towards green with slightly bronzed effects which is completed by a very beautiful base in sea green marble whose shades of green and black color combine perfectly with the nuances of the patina of this bronze.

A very beautiful art deco bronze, a very interesting subject.

Dimensions:
46 cm high by 18 cm long at the base by 16 cm wide.

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