'Pro Patria', large patinated bronze sculpture by Gaudez

Adrien Étienne Gaudez was a French artist known for his figurative bronze sculptures, especially his large-scale monuments and busts. Like his contemporaries Joseph Jules Descombes Cormier and Jef Lambeaux, Gaudez fabricated his designs for commercial means, though he did exhibit regularly at Paris Salons beginning in 1864. Having been a prisoner of war in 1870, he erected a commemorative statue in memory of the French soldiers who also befell his fate, which opened in 1892. Born on February 2, 1845 in Lyon, France, the sculptor studied at Paris’ Ecole des Beaux-Arts with Francois Jouffroy as his tutor. Though his work primarily explored classical motifs, as his career progressed, Gaudez delved into the curvilinear forms and ornament characteristic of Art Nouveau. He died on January 23, 1902 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France.The sculpture depicts a full-length, semi-nude male figure with an animal skin draped across his lower body. The young man has a furrowed brow and he gazes determinedly into the distance. He is depicted in the act of drawing his sword from its sheath on the left side of his body. A female figure stands behind the man, raised up on a mound of earth. She wears a classical style dress with a lion’s mask on her bodice. The woman rests her weight on one leg and kicks the other out behind her. She points to the right distance with one hand, and holds a flag inscribed ‘Pro Patria’ in her other. The woman looks down at the man with her mouth slightly ajar, as though she is urging him forwards into battle. This figure is an allegory of the French Republic. The title of the piece, ‘Pro Patria’, derives from a line by the Roman poet, Horace: ‘dulce et docorum est pro patria mori’ (‘it is sweet and proper to die for one’s country’). The sculpture is set on a circular base, which is signed ‘A. Gaudez’. The base also features a central cartouche on its front, which is inscribed ‘Pro Patria / Par A. Gaudez / Hors Concours'.

Height 60cm