290 - PAUL CHEVRÉ

PAUL CHEVRÉ PAUL CHEVRE. BOY SEPARATING FIGHTING COCKS FRANCE / CANADA, LATE 19TH - EARLY 20TH CENTURY. A monumental author’s bronze sculpture executed by Paul Chevré, an eminent French-Canadian master of the academic school at the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The composition depicts a nude youth in a moment of intense movement, striving to separate two fighting cocks engaged in a furious struggle. The figure of the boy is conceived in an antiquizing manner. The modelling of the torso reveals precise anatomical structure and a refined treatment of surface. The contrapposto enhances the sensation of a fleeting gesture captured in bronze. The diagonal formed by the outstretched wings and extended necks of the cocks cuts across the line of the body and the drapery around the hips, creating a powerful dramatic rhythm within the composition. The contrast between the smooth surface of the youthful body and the textured rendering of the feathers produces an expressive interplay of light across the noble dark patina. The base is treated in a naturalistic manner and reinforces the dynamic tension of the sculptural group. The work demonstrates the maturity of the artist’s language and corresponds to the aesthetic ideals of the Belle Époque. Marks: Signed “Paul Chevré” on the base; foundry mark. Dimensions: Height 75 centimetres; width 52 centimetres. Condition: Good. Even dark patina. Minor surface wear consistent with age. Provenance: Private European collection. Width: 52cm, Height: 75cm, Depth: 45cm, Weight: 30kg, Condition: Excellent, Material: BRONZE, Patinated bronze, ID: ID-ANTQ-59