Horse Hummingbird - Gaston d'Illiers 1876-1932

Height: 11 cm Length: 13 cm Width: 3.50 cm Patina in shades of green.
According to the catalogue raisonné on Gaston d'Illiers, we can read: "Half-blood, docked tail, standing at attention. Colibri belonged to Gaston d'Illiers. This small model is rendered with finesse and realism."
About the sculptor:
An experienced horseman, equestrian trainer, and huntsman, he took immense pleasure in sculpting horses, as well as pack hounds. He sculpted his own horses (Miss, Youyou, Whip, Violette, Sweet Heart, Képi, Colibri, Emeralda…), those of his family or friends (Protocole, Nonciature, Jack, Sydney, Moonshine, Le Bourgeois, Sous-Off, War Claim…) but also the thoroughbreds seen at the racecourse (Idylle, Bulletin Rose, Rosetta XIV…), or anonymous horses, working in the fields, resting in a meadow… such as his Boulonnais at a trot from 1896, his Plough (1899), his group Horse and donkey towing from 1901, his Horses at the Harrow from 1906, his Drayer (1911) or even his Boulonnais Stallion from 1921. Very often a judge of local agricultural competitions, Gaston d'Illiers liked to sculpt these solid rustic horses, whose powerful musculature evoked hardship and hard labor. He also sometimes didn't hesitate to give his horses unconventional poses, such as his Rearing Arabian (1897), his Jumping Horse (1898), his Movement of Joy (1903), his group The Hedge, his Jumping Idyll (both from 1923), or his Jumping Pony (1924) throwing its hind legs into the air in a spectacular twist to the left.
Copyright