Charles VII the Victorious on Horseback

Provenance

(George A. Lucas, Paris, 1874-1909).[1] (Bernard Black Gallery, New York), until 1969; Bernard Black and Hugues-W. Nadeau, New York and Europe;[2] (their sale, Parke-Bernet Galleries, Inc., New York, 3 December 1971, no. 48); purchased by (Lock Galleries, New York) for Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, Upperville, Virginia;[3] gift 1980 to NGA. [1] George Aloysius Lucas (1824-1909) was a Baltimore native residing in Paris from 1857 until his death, who helped to shape many important French and American collections as agent to private and museum patrons. He was crucial to Barye's lifetime commercial success, and to disseminating the serial work after the sculptor's death (Lillian M.C. Randall, ed., _The Diary of George A. Lucas: An American Art Agent in Paris, 1857-1909_, Princeton, 1979: 1:3-32; Glenn F. Benge, _Antoine-Louis Barye. Sculptor of Romantic Realism_, University Park, Pennsylvania, 1969: 1:60-68). The inscription on the base of this cast reflects his last known address. Lucas lived in an apartment building on the rue de l'Arc de Triomphe beginning in 1861, but its number changed from "41" to "21" in 1874 (Randall 1979, 1:33). Since his private collection (now at the Baltimore Museum of Art and the Walters Art Gallery), has no examples of this subject (see _The George A. Lucas Collection of the Maryland Institute_, Exh. cat., Baltimore Museum of Art], Baltimore, 1965, nos. 343-416), this cast may be among several that Lucas bought and sold during his career. For example, after arranging for a version for his associate Samuel P. Avery in early 1881 (Randall 1979, 2:513-533; possibly the one now at the Wadsworth Athenaeum, Hartford), he ordered a clock mount from Barbedienne for a _Charles VII_ in early 1882 (Randall 1979, 2: 533-543; diary entries for 27 January, 3 May, and 9 June 1882). [2] Parke-Bernet Galleries, Inc., New York, _Bronzes by Antoine-Louis Barye. The Bernard Black - Hugues Nadeau Collection_, 3 December 1971. According to the unpaginated foreword, the partners of the Bernard Black Gallery retained a selection of Barye casts as a study collection after closing the gallery in 1969. [3] In NGA curatorial files.

Charles VII the Victorious on Horseback

Barye, Antoine-Louis

model c. 1844, cast 1860/1909

Accession Number

1980.44.1

Medium

bronze

Dimensions

overall: 29.2 x 27.3 x 10.8 cm (11 1/2 x 10 3/4 x 4 1/4 in.)

Classification

Sculpture

Museum

National Gallery of Art

Washington, D.C., United States

Credit Line

Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon