Sandoz, Seated Fennec. Signed Terracotta, 1921

A rare terracotta sculpture, created in 1921 and signed by Sandoz, depicting a fennec fox sitting in profile on a stylized rocky base, with its head turned slightly forward and an alert, curious expression.
The work highlights the defining features of the animal dear to Édouard-Marcel Sandoz: its immense, erect ears, its large, expressive eyes, and its textured fur.
Sandoz was particularly fond of fennec foxes; he sculpted them in groups or individually. “The natural, frozen-in-time appearance of this endearing animalis remarkably captured by the sculpture.” (F. Marcilhac, Édouard Marcel Sandoz 1881–1971. Catalogue Raisonné of Sculptural Works, Paris, 1993, p. 113).
In the photographs reproduced in Félix Marcilhac’s catalog raisonné, we see Sandoz posing with his large group of ten fennec foxes, or sculpting his live model seated on a small stool: “As attentive as it is docile, the little desert fox allows Sandoz to guide it into position.” page 153.

This terracotta model appears in the same catalog raisonné on page 545, no. 6a.

Rare on the art market, an identical model was sold at Christie’s on June 19, 2020, lot 10
https://onlineonly.christies.com/s/inspired-nature-fine-decorative-arts/edouard-marcel-sandoz-1881-1971-10/88408

In very good condition, with a superb patina.
Signed “Sandoz” on the base.
Stamp of the publisher Susse Frères.
Circa 1921

Dimensions:
Height 31 cm
Width 20.5 cm
Depth 15 cm



Son of the founder of the pharmaceutical firm Sandoz, Édouard Marcel Sandoz (1881–1971) left his native Switzerland to complete his training as a sculptor at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, where he studied painting under Cormon and sculpture under Antonin Mercié. On the advice of his friend, the Portuguese sculptor Joao da Silva, he focused specifically on animal sculpture. He was interested in both domestic animals and wildlife. He studied animals in the wild and at zoos, primarily in Paris and Basel, but also in his studio, where he raised many of them. Beginning in 1910, he exhibited several works at the Salon de la Nationale and received unanimous praise from critics.

A member of the Société des Artistes Animaliers, founded by Gardet and Dayot in 1912, Sandoz participated in numerous group exhibitions, notably at the Edgar Brandt Gallery, which dedicated a retrospective exhibition to him in March 1927. Pompon’s death in 1933 led to the breakup of the animal artists’ group, but Sandoz overcame this setback and took over the Edgar Brandt Gallery, renaming it the Galerie Malesherbes.

It was thanks to him that the animal-themed artists were able to continue exhibiting their works regularly and bringing their art to the public’s attention. Sandoz played a leading role within the group of animal-themed artists. To honor the memory of this sculptor, the Édouard-Marcel Sandoz Grand Prize for Animal Art was established by Sandoz Laboratories; it was presented annually by his daughter, Mrs. Nicole Landolt-Sandoz, and the company’s CEO. Sandoz knew how to capitalize on the Cubist revolution to bring his own artistic explorations to fruition, creating a fabulous bestiary that eliminated all superfluous details to achieve a measured simplification of realism.




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