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ID #SA1017608
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£2,150
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Antique Grand Tour Bronze Sculpture of Goddess Diana by Mercié 19th C
Regent Antiques
for sale €2,516     $2,731
£2,150
Regent Antiques

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Antique Grand Tour Bronze Sculpture of Goddess Diana by Mercié 19th C

19th century
For Sale by Regent Antiques
Description

An elegant French Grand Tour bronze figure of the Greek Goddess Diana by Marius-Jean-Antonin Mercié, French 1845 - 1916, dating from Circa 1880.

The seated and robed Goddess Diana is holding a bow and arrows with her head downcast and raised on a circular plinth.

Diana was originally considered to be a goddess of the wilderness and of the hunt, a central sport in both Roman and Greek culture. Early Roman inscriptions to Diana celebrated her primarily as a huntress and patron of hunters.

Add a beautiful classical element to your home with this delightful bronze.

Condition:

In excellent condition with no dings, dents or signs of repair. Please see photos for confirmation.

Dimensions in cm:

Height 41 x Width 29 x Depth 19

Dimensions in inches:

Height 1 foot, 4 inches x Width 11 inches x Depth 7 inches

Mercié entered the École des Beaux-Arts, Paris, and studied under Alexandre Falguière and François Jouffroy, and in 1868 gained the Grand Prix de Rome at the age of 23. His first great popular successes were the David and Gloria Victis, which was shown and received the Medal of Honour of the Paris Salon. The bronze was subsequently placed in the Square Montholon.

The bronze David was one of his most popular works. The Biblical hero is depicted naked with the head of Goliath at his feet like Donatello's David, but with a turbanned head and sheathing his long sword. Numerous reproductions exist, most of which incorporate a loincloth that covers David's genitalia but not his buttocks. The lifesize original is now in the Musée d'Orsay.

Mercié was appointed Professor of Drawing and Sculpture at the École des Beaux-Arts, and was elected a member of the Académie française in 1891, after being awarded the biennial prize of the Institute of 800 in 1887. He was subsequently elected to grand officier of the Légion d'honneur, and in 1913 became the president of the Société des artistes français. Marie-Antoinette Demagnez was among his many students at the École des Beaux-Arts.He died in Paris on December 12, 1916.

Works

The Genius of the Arts (1877), a relief, is in the Tuileries, in substitution for Antoine-Louis Barye's Napoleon III. A similar work for the tomb of Jules Michelet (1879; designed with architect Jean-Louis Pascal) is in Père Lachaise Cemetery, and in the same year Mercié produced the statue of Arago with accompanying reliefs, now erected at Perpignan.

In 1882 he repeated his great patriotic success of 1874 with a group Quand Même!, replicas of which have been set up at Belfort and in the garden of the Tuileries. Le Souvenir (1885), a marble statue for the tomb of Charles Ferry, is one of his most beautiful works. Regret, for the tomb of Alexandre Cabanel, was produced in 1892, along with William Tell, subsequently at Lausanne.

Mercié also designed the monuments to Jean-Louis-Ernest Meissonier (1895), erected in the Jardin de l'Infante in the Louvre, and Louis Faidherbe (1896) at Lille, a statue of Adolphe Thiers set up at St Germain-en-Laye, the monument to Paul Baudry at Père Lachaise, and that of Louis-Philippe and Queen Amélie for their tomb at Dreux. His stone group of Justice is at the Hôtel de Ville, Paris.[2]

Numerous other statues, portrait busts, and medallions came from the sculptor's hand, which gained him a medal of honor at the Paris Exhibition (1878) and the grand prix at that of 1889. Among the paintings exhibited by the artist are a Venus, to which was awarded a medal in 1883, Leda (1884), and Michelangelo studying Anatomy (1885), his most dramatic work in this medium.[2]

Mercié is known in America primarily for three monuments: the 1890 Robert E. Lee equestrian bronze on Monument Avenue in Richmond, Virginia (the Robert E. Lee Monument), which was removed in September 2021; his 1891 collaboration with former teacher Alex

Physical Dimensions
Height
41cm (16.14")
Width
29cm (11.42")
Depth
19cm (7.48")
Declaration

Regent Antiques has dated this Antique Bronze Diana Sculpture to the 1880s.

Reference Numbers
Sellingantiques Reference
SA1017608
Dealers Internal Reference
A3529
Description
An elegant French Grand Tour bronze figure of the Greek Goddess Diana by Marius-Jean-Antonin Mercié, French 1845 - 1916, dating from Circa 1880.
“
The seated and robed Goddess Diana is holding a bow and arrows with her head downcast and raised on a circular plinth.
Regent Antiques
fig 1. A 19th-century dark patinated bronze sculpture depicting the classical goddess Diana seated on a chair with a bow and quiver, set upon an oval base.
fig 1. Antique Grand Tour Bronze Sculpture of Goddess Diana by Mercié 19th C

Diana was originally considered to be a goddess of the wilderness and of the hunt, a central sport in both Roman and Greek culture. Early Roman inscriptions to Diana celebrated her primarily as a huntress and patron of hunters.

fig 2. A 19th-century dark patinated bronze sculpture depicting the classical goddess Diana seated on a chair with a bow and quiver, set upon an oval base.
fig 2. Antique Grand Tour Bronze Sculpture of Goddess Diana by Mercié 19th C

Add a beautiful classical element to your home with this delightful bronze.

Condition:

In excellent condition with no dings, dents or signs of repair. Please see photos for confirmation.

Dimensions in cm:

fig 3. A 19th-century dark patinated bronze sculpture depicting the classical goddess Diana seated on a chair with a bow and quiver, set upon an oval base.
fig 3. Antique Grand Tour Bronze Sculpture of Goddess Diana by Mercié 19th C

Height 41 x Width 29 x Depth 19

Dimensions in inches:

Height 1 foot, 4 inches x Width 11 inches x Depth 7 inches

Mercié entered the École des Beaux-Arts, Paris, and studied under Alexandre Falguière and François Jouffroy, and in 1868 gained the Grand Prix de Rome at the age of 23. His first great popular successes were the David and Gloria Victis, which was shown and received the Medal of Honour of the Paris Salon. The bronze was subsequently placed in the Square Montholon.

fig 4. A 19th-century dark patinated bronze sculpture depicting the classical goddess Diana seated on a chair with a bow and quiver, set upon an oval base.
fig 4. Antique Grand Tour Bronze Sculpture of Goddess Diana by Mercié 19th C

The bronze David was one of his most popular works. The Biblical hero is depicted naked with the head of Goliath at his feet like Donatello's David, but with a turbanned head and sheathing his long sword. Numerous reproductions exist, most of which incorporate a loincloth that covers David's genitalia but not his buttocks. The lifesize original is now in the Musée d'Orsay.

fig 5. A 19th-century dark patinated bronze sculpture depicting the classical goddess Diana seated on a chair with a bow and quiver, set upon an oval base.
fig 5. Antique Grand Tour Bronze Sculpture of Goddess Diana by Mercié 19th C

Mercié was appointed Professor of Drawing and Sculpture at the École des Beaux-Arts, and was elected a member of the Académie française in 1891, after being awarded the biennial prize of the Institute of 800 in 1887. He was subsequently elected to grand officier of the Légion d'honneur, and in 1913 became the president of the Société des artistes français. Marie-Antoinette Demagnez was among his many students at the École des Beaux-Arts.He died in Paris on December 12, 1916.

fig 6. A 19th-century dark patinated bronze sculpture depicting the classical goddess Diana seated on a chair with a bow and quiver, set upon an oval base.
fig 6. Antique Grand Tour Bronze Sculpture of Goddess Diana by Mercié 19th C

Works

The Genius of the Arts (1877), a relief, is in the Tuileries, in substitution for Antoine-Louis Barye's Napoleon III. A similar work for the tomb of Jules Michelet (1879; designed with architect Jean-Louis Pascal) is in Père Lachaise Cemetery, and in the same year Mercié produced the statue of Arago with accompanying reliefs, now erected at Perpignan.

fig 7. A 19th-century dark patinated bronze sculpture depicting the classical goddess Diana seated on a chair with a bow and quiver, set upon an oval base.
fig 7. Antique Grand Tour Bronze Sculpture of Goddess Diana by Mercié 19th C

In 1882 he repeated his great patriotic success of 1874 with a group Quand Même!, replicas of which have been set up at Belfort and in the garden of the Tuileries. Le Souvenir (1885), a marble statue for the tomb of Charles Ferry, is one of his most beautiful works. Regret, for the tomb of Alexandre Cabanel, was produced in 1892, along with William Tell, subsequently at Lausanne.

fig 8. A 19th-century dark patinated bronze sculpture depicting the classical goddess Diana seated on a chair with a bow and quiver, set upon an oval base.
fig 8. Antique Grand Tour Bronze Sculpture of Goddess Diana by Mercié 19th C

Mercié also designed the monuments to Jean-Louis-Ernest Meissonier (1895), erected in the Jardin de l'Infante in the Louvre, and Louis Faidherbe (1896) at Lille, a statue of Adolphe Thiers set up at St Germain-en-Laye, the monument to Paul Baudry at Père Lachaise, and that of Louis-Philippe and Queen Amélie for their tomb at Dreux. His stone group of Justice is at the Hôtel de Ville, Paris.[2]

fig 9. A 19th-century dark patinated bronze sculpture depicting the classical goddess Diana seated on a chair with a bow and quiver, set upon an oval base.
fig 9. Antique Grand Tour Bronze Sculpture of Goddess Diana by Mercié 19th C

Numerous other statues, portrait busts, and medallions came from the sculptor's hand, which gained him a medal of honor at the Paris Exhibition (1878) and the grand prix at that of 1889. Among the paintings exhibited by the artist are a Venus, to which was awarded a medal in 1883, Leda (1884), and Michelangelo studying Anatomy (1885), his most dramatic work in this medium.[2]

fig 10. A 19th-century dark patinated bronze sculpture depicting the classical goddess Diana seated on a chair with a bow and quiver, set upon an oval base.
fig 10. Antique Grand Tour Bronze Sculpture of Goddess Diana by Mercié 19th C

Mercié is known in America primarily for three monuments: the 1890 Robert E. Lee equestrian bronze on Monument Avenue in Richmond, Virginia (the Robert E. Lee Monument), which was removed in September 2021; his 1891 collaboration with former teacher Alex

Height
41cm (16.14")
Width
29cm (11.42")
Depth
19cm (7.48")
Date of Manufacture

Regent Antiques has dated this Antique Bronze Diana Sculpture to the 1880s.

Reference Numbers
Sellingantiques Ref
SA1017608
Dealers Internal Ref
A3529
Regent Antiques
Regent Antiques
Sellingantiques verified Since Sep 2016

We specialise in english and continental furniture, silver, porcelain and decorative items.

Dealer Profile

You can view the stock and full dealer information on the Regent Antiques Profile Page

Trade Associations

Regent Antiques is a registered member of LAPADA  CINOA

Relevant Links
PDF SHARE
SAVE
A 19th-century dark patinated bronze sculpture depicting the classical goddess Diana seated on a chair with a bow and quiver, set upon an oval base.
1 / 27
Archive I A 19th-century dark patinated bronze sculpture depicting the classical goddess Diana seated on a chair with a bow and quiver, set upon an oval base.

Antique Grand Tour Bronze Sculpture of Goddess Diana by Mercié 19th C

Archive II A 19th-century dark patinated bronze sculpture depicting the classical goddess Diana seated on a chair with a bow and quiver, set upon an oval base. View II
Archive III A 19th-century dark patinated bronze sculpture depicting the classical goddess Diana seated on a chair with a bow and quiver, set upon an oval base. View III
Archive IV A 19th-century dark patinated bronze sculpture depicting the classical goddess Diana seated on a chair with a bow and quiver, set upon an oval base. View IV
Archive V A 19th-century dark patinated bronze sculpture depicting the classical goddess Diana seated on a chair with a bow and quiver, set upon an oval base. View V
Archive VI A 19th-century dark patinated bronze sculpture depicting the classical goddess Diana seated on a chair with a bow and quiver, set upon an oval base. View VI
Archive VII A 19th-century dark patinated bronze sculpture depicting the classical goddess Diana seated on a chair with a bow and quiver, set upon an oval base. View VII
Archive VIII A 19th-century dark patinated bronze sculpture depicting the classical goddess Diana seated on a chair with a bow and quiver, set upon an oval base. View VIII
Archive IX A 19th-century dark patinated bronze sculpture depicting the classical goddess Diana seated on a chair with a bow and quiver, set upon an oval base. View IX
Archive X A 19th-century dark patinated bronze sculpture depicting the classical goddess Diana seated on a chair with a bow and quiver, set upon an oval base. View X
Archive XI A 19th-century dark patinated bronze sculpture depicting the classical goddess Diana seated on a chair with a bow and quiver, set upon an oval base. View XI
Archive XII A 19th-century dark patinated bronze sculpture depicting the classical goddess Diana seated on a chair with a bow and quiver, set upon an oval base. View XII
Archive XIII A 19th-century dark patinated bronze sculpture depicting the classical goddess Diana seated on a chair with a bow and quiver, set upon an oval base. View XIII
Archive XIV A 19th-century dark patinated bronze sculpture depicting the classical goddess Diana seated on a chair with a bow and quiver, set upon an oval base. View XIV
Archive XV A 19th-century dark patinated bronze sculpture depicting the classical goddess Diana seated on a chair with a bow and quiver, set upon an oval base. View XV
Archive XVI A 19th-century dark patinated bronze sculpture depicting the classical goddess Diana seated on a chair with a bow and quiver, set upon an oval base. View XVI
Archive XVII A 19th-century dark patinated bronze sculpture depicting the classical goddess Diana seated on a chair with a bow and quiver, set upon an oval base. View XVII
Archive XVIII A 19th-century dark patinated bronze sculpture depicting the classical goddess Diana seated on a chair with a bow and quiver, set upon an oval base. View XVIII
Archive XIX A 19th-century dark patinated bronze sculpture depicting the classical goddess Diana seated on a chair with a bow and quiver, set upon an oval base. View XIX
Archive XX A 19th-century dark patinated bronze sculpture depicting the classical goddess Diana seated on a chair with a bow and quiver, set upon an oval base. View XX
Archive XXI A 19th-century dark patinated bronze sculpture depicting the classical goddess Diana seated on a chair with a bow and quiver, set upon an oval base. View XXI
Archive XXII A 19th-century dark patinated bronze sculpture depicting the classical goddess Diana seated on a chair with a bow and quiver, set upon an oval base. View XXII
Archive XXIII A 19th-century dark patinated bronze sculpture depicting the classical goddess Diana seated on a chair with a bow and quiver, set upon an oval base. View XXIII
Archive XXIV A 19th-century dark patinated bronze sculpture depicting the classical goddess Diana seated on a chair with a bow and quiver, set upon an oval base. View XXIV
Archive XXV A 19th-century dark patinated bronze sculpture depicting the classical goddess Diana seated on a chair with a bow and quiver, set upon an oval base. View XXV
Archive XXVI A 19th-century dark patinated bronze sculpture depicting the classical goddess Diana seated on a chair with a bow and quiver, set upon an oval base. View XXVI
Archive XXVII A 19th-century dark patinated bronze sculpture depicting the classical goddess Diana seated on a chair with a bow and quiver, set upon an oval base. View XXVII
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A 19th-century dark patinated bronze sculpture depicting the classical goddess Diana seated on a chair with a bow and quiver, set upon an oval base.
Antique Grand Tour Bronze Sculpture of Goddess Diana by Mercié 19th C
Ref: SA1017608
A 19th-century dark patinated bronze sculpture depicting the classical goddess Diana seated on a chair with a bow and quiver, set upon an oval base.
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FAQs

Grand Tour bronzes are small-scale bronze replicas of classical Greek, Roman, and Renaissance sculptures. They were acquired by European aristocrats and travellers during their educational Grand Tour travels across continental Europe throughout the 18th and 19th centuries.

19th-century bronze figures were typically cast using the lost-wax process or sand casting methods. Foundries applied chemical patinas to the bronze surface to create specific finishes ranging from deep dark brown to rich golden shades.

Authentic period bronzes exhibit crisp cast details, natural handling wear to high-repose areas, foundry stamps or artist signatures, and chemical patination that shows realistic age-related depth rather than painted-on finishes.

Place a classical bronze figure on a mantelpiece, sideboard, or within a bookshelf as a focal point. Paired with dark timber furniture or contrasting stone surfaces, bronze adds architectural weight and historic tone to contemporary or traditional rooms.

Dust the bronze gently with a soft, dry microfibre cloth or horsehair brush. To protect the original patina, apply a thin coat of clear microcrystalline wax once or twice a year and buff lightly, keeping the piece away from excess moisture and harsh cleaning chemicals.
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