Sculptor - Pierre Jules Mene
Title - Jiji et Gisella
Cast Iron from the 1851 Exhibition
Circa 1851
6 1/4" height by 8 1/4" length
(16 cm by 21 cm)
Mene exhibited a model of this sculpture in the Paris Salon of 1848 and it appears in his catalog of that same year as sculpture number 93. This model was a very popular bronze after its successful exhibit at the salon. It is one of the artist's most beloved work and is one of the models that come to mind when the artist is thought of.
This sculpture is made of cast iron and is one of the sculptures sold at the Great Exhibition of London in 1851. Mene exhibited his art at this exhibition and it is known that he had several iron foundries in England cast his works in iron and he sold them at the French Pavilion. These Great Exhibition examples are extremely rare as cast iron is very fragile and most of the examples of Mene's work from the 1851 Exhibition have not survived.
This sculpture is amazingly detailed, signed P. J. Mene in the base, and bears a patina similar to what a bronze would have. This is truly something that a collector of this artist's work should have in their collection as it marks a moment in time in the artist's career.
This Sculpture is illustrated in the following books:
Art Bronzes by Michael Forrest, pg. 185
Les Animaliers by Jane Horswell, pg. 123 and 125.
The Animaliers by James MacKay, pg. 112 (Color plate).
Bronzes of the 19th Century by Pierre Kjellberg, pg. 482.
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