Surcouf - Alfred Caravanniez - 1855-1917

Dimensions
Height: approx. 61 cm
Length: approx. 50 cm
Width: approx. 34 cm
Weight: 20.5 kg

Signature
On the back of the terrace: Caravanniez

Titled
Surcouf
On the middle of the terrace

Material
Bronze with medallic patina
The bronze is complete

Gamaliel Treasures is privileged to present here the reductionof this monumental statue. This piece stands out as an extremely rarehistorical testimony: no other scale model of this Surcouf malouinother than that in the possession of Robert Surcouf's descendants.descendants of Robert Surcouf.
If the statue is impressive, the man it embodiesthe man it embodies belongs to maritime mythology. Born in Saint-Malo onDecember 12, 1773 from a line of shipowners, Robert Surcouf embracedembraced the destiny of the high seas from the age of thirteen. Receivedcaptain (1794), he immediately distinguished himself by his extraordinarydaring and a formidable tactical sense. With a letter of issued by Emperor Napoleon 1st, he set out to race against theagainst the English trade. From one exploit to the next, he becamelegend, with no less than forty-seven captured vessels to histo his credit. The boarding and capture of the HMS Kent remains the most dazzling featof his formidable career.l

The monumental work of Saint Malo, the brainchild of Alfred Caravanniez, waswas cast by the prestigious Barbedienne-Leblanc company.
Its subsequentsubsequent history is not lacking in piquancy. Deemed too small, its originalwas abandoned in 1958 in favor of the cavalier des Champs-Vauvertsdes Champs-Vauverts (place du Québec), where the statue was reinstalled on amore modest pedestal. It was on this occasion that the privateer's orientation took on a crucial meaning: his outstretched arm was now pointing to theEnglish coastline. This was to save her. Indeed, during the Occupation, the GermanGerman authorities, considering that Surcouf's vengeful finger was pointingthat Surcouf's vengeful finger was pointing at the English enemy like so many other bronze masterpieces.More recently, on July 6, 2007, the saber, which had been broken at the lower level of the left handhand in the aftermath of the Second World War, was faithfully restored. Vandalized in 2017, the sword was againbroken. In March 2018, the saber was restored.


Further information: https://www.lestresorsdegamaliel.com/accueil/549-robert-surcouf-corsaire-malouin.html

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