Line Infantry Sapper - Emmanuel Fremiet 1824–1910

Dimensions
Height: approx. 24 cm
Base diameter: approx. 9 cm

Signature

On the terrace: E. Frémiet

Bears the number 42 on the terrace, indicating that it was cast by More, and thus during the artist’s lifetime.

Line Infantry Sapper

This is one of the fifty-five statuettes that Napoleon III commissioned from Emmanuel Fremiet. With a keen eye for detail, the sculptor visited various barracks to faithfully recreate the uniforms in this series depicting figures from the Imperial Army.

Emmanuel Fremiet presents us with a Line Infantry Sapper frozen in a respectful at-ease stance, the axe on his right shoulder, the fingers of his left hand resting on the seam of his trousers. He carries a pack onhis back, a large cape, and a fur cap. Wearing a fur-lined cap (also called an “ourson”) topped with a white and scarlet plume, very similar to that of the Grenadiers, the sapper wears gauntlets, that is, gloves with thick cuffs designed to protect the wrists and the “pontonier” apron, made of buffalo hide, On his arm, the insignia—two crossed axes surmounted by a grenade—indicates the sapper’s function and rank.

Copyright