79 - ALFRED BOUCHER (FRENCH, 1850-1934): AU BUT, SIOT FOUNDRY

ALFRED BOUCHER (FRENCH, 1850-1934): AU BUT, SIOT FOUNDRY the dark patinated bronze figural group depicting near nude athletes reaching the Finishing Line (Au But), on shaped oval base signed 'A. BOUCHER', the reverse signed SIOT PARIS 3711, raised on a separate wooden oval plinth, the bronze 45cm high x 68cm wide, 51.5cm high including plinth The initial conception in plaster (entitled "Les Coureurs") won a first class medal at the Paris Salon of 1886, and was praised for its original composition and the technical prowess required to create a dynamic yet perfectly balanced arrangement with each figure supported by just one leg. The French state then commissioned a life-size, bronze version. The cast was exhibited the following year and then stayed in the Luxembourg Gardens, Paris, until it was destroyed during the Nazi occupation. A further example by the Siot foundry numbered 3811 was sold at Sotheby's, Paris, 14 June 2023, lot 57.