Paul Landowski, 1875 Paris – 1961 Boulogne-Bi... Lot n° 513

HERCULES AND THE KERYNITIC HINDIN, 1922 Height: 49.3 cm. Width: 60.9 cm. Depth of the plinth: 23 cm. Total depth: 25 cm. Signed on the elongated, rounded corner plinth, with foundry mark "F. BARBEDIENNE Fondeur Paris". Silver-plated bronze. Large group of figures depicting the youthful Hercules, who, according to Greek myth, had to catch the hind as the third of his twelve tasks. Hercules is depicted here as youthfully slender in the Art Deco style, which gave rise to the idea of the sculpture as a sports trophy. The sculpture was also a trophy for the international ski cup in 1922; another cast was also produced for the Swedish Olympic delegation in 1922. Created from the 1921 model, the plaster model is in the Museum of the 1930s in Boulogne Billancourt. In his diary, Landowski confessed his admiration for the sculptor Bourdelle, noting the similarity of the youth's head to that of Hercules. Works can be found in the Metropolitan Museum in New York. Only a few of the casts were patinated in silver, one with a gold patina was sold at auction in 2018, and the sculptor's family was of Polish origin. He was a member of the Académie des Beaux-Arts Paris from 1926 and later became its director. He was also director of the Villa Medici in Rome. A.R. Literature: Cf. Jules Romaines, Gérard Caillet, Pierre Berdoy, Paul Landowski, 1875-1961. La main et l'esprit, Paris 1961 (1401586) (11) Paul Landowski, 1875 Paris - 1961 Boulogne-Billancourt HERCULES AND THE CERYNEIAN HIND, 1922 Height: 49.3 cm. Length: 60.9 cm. Depth of plinth: 23 cm. Overall depth: 25 cm. Signed on long grass knoll plinth with rounded corners with foundry mark "F. BARBEDIENNE Fondeur Paris". Bronze; silvered. Large figural group depicting the youthful Hercules, who, according to Greek mythology, had to capture the Ceryneian hind as the third of his twelve labours. Hercules appears youthful and slim in the spirit of Art Deco, which gave rise to the idea that the sculpture could also be considered a sports trophy: in 1922 it was used as an international ski trophy. The plaster model is held at the "Museum of the 1930s" in Boulogne Billancourt. Literature: Jules Romaines, Gérard Caillet, Pierre Berdoy, Paul Landowski, 1875-1961. La main et l'esprit, Paris 1961.