Pair of "Marly Horses" after Guillaume Coustou

A superb pair of finely cast patinated bronze reductions depicting the celebrated Chevaux de Marly, two rearing stallions each restrained by a muscular nude groom, their flowing manes and tails captured in dramatic movement. The figures are mounted on naturalistic rocky bases adorned with acanthus leaf decoration.

The originals are among the greatest masterpieces of French eighteenth-century sculpture, commissioned in 1739 for the horse-pond terrace at the Château de Marly. After the Revolution, they were installed at the head of the Champs-Élysées in 1794, where they became powerful symbols of France itself. The marble originals now reside in the Louvre.

The casting of this pair is of particularly fine quality, with the limbs and tails cast separately and dovetailed to the bodies, a mark of superior craftsmanship. The rich dark brown patina, surface modelling, and expressive detail of the horses' eyes, teeth, and manes attest to the high standard of this edition. One group with minor restoration to a cast element, professionally executed.

A rare and distinguished pair, ideal for a grand interior or important collection.

French, early 19th Century. No Marks.

Literature:
A comparable pair is catalogued and illustrated in the exhibition catalogue entry no. 3.1–3.5, described as "The Marly Horses: Two Horses With Their Trainers" after Guillaume Coustou the Elder (1677–1746), circa 1830, H: 23 in. (58.4 cm), Collection of Stephen Newman, New Jersey. The entry notes that the casting technique of dovetailing separately cast limbs and tails to the bodies is a particular mark of quality, and that bronze reductions of this model were produced throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries following the enormous popularity of the original marble groups.