Important Equestrian Sculpture In Patinated Terracotta Representing An Ancient Warrior.

France, late 19th – early 20th century Height: 128 cm – Width: 100 cm – Depth: 48 cm Base height: 75 cm – Total height: 203 cm Monumental terracotta sculpture representing a helmeted and armored Roman warrior, armed with a lance, mounted on a rearing horse. With its martial pose and heroic attitude, the figure can be compared to a Roman general, while evoking the Christian iconography of Saint George, a popular theme in 19th-century historicist sculpture. The work is striking for its monumentality and visual presence: the rider dominates the composition while the horse, rendered with vigor and anatomical accuracy, stands on its hindquarters. The rocky base, treated in large facets, accentuates the dramatic energy of the whole. This terracotta was made by molding in several parts, then taken up and patinated by hand. In places, traces of molding can be seen, as well as small firing holes left visible, testifying to the technical processes used for this type of monumental decorative production. The work presents old restorations (breaks glued and consolidated, notably at the horse). The current brown patina is later, probably redone during these restorations, in order to reinforce the bronze effect. The removable wooden spear has retained its shaft and its metal point (the end of the point is missing). The sculpture is today presented on a modern base in painted and patinated wood, made especially to highlight it. By its spectacular scale and its theatrical effect, this terracotta perfectly illustrates the historicist taste of the end of the 19th century for large heroic and decorative figures, intended to adorn prestigious vestibules and galleries. It comes from an important private Parisian property belonging to a 20th century showman, where it adorned a prestigious interior.