"Combat de Coqs" Rare Bronze Sculpture by Auguste Cain (French, 1822-1894)

Description

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AUGUSTE NICHOLAS CAIN
French, 1822-1894
"Combat de Coqs no. 2"
Sand-cast bronze finished in dark-brown patina with hints of burnished bronze undertones | Signed in base "A. CAIN" | circa 1890-1910
Item # 202HPW12L
A scarce casting after Cain's model of Combat de Coqs, this powerful group is an endlessly spinning and highly chaotic representation of two very angry roosters fighting for territory. Exhibited initially in plaster at the Paris Salon of 1861 [no. 3207], it was again offered by Cain in bronze at the 1864 Salon [no. 2527]. The model was cast by Cain's own atelier foundry until the 1880s when he signed a commercial agreement with Susse to have some of his models edited and cast by their foundries. It featured in their late 19th century catalogue of Cain's work [see Kjellberg] and again in their 1902-1912 catalogue of Mêne and Cain with a half-page illustration of the present model. In the earlier catalogue it was offered in two dimensions, no. 1 at 61 cm in height for 1,000 francs and no. 2 at 33 cm in height for 500 francs.
The present example was cast circa 1890-1910 and is an intricate sand-casting finished in an overall dark-brown patina, nearly black in the recesses while relieved to burnished-bronze and copper undertones in the raised elements. A loose impressionism is given to the feathers and wing structures, perhaps in an effort to capture the swirling motions and the speed the birds are moving at; crisp attention to detail is visible in the scaled legs, talons, faces and naturalistic base. This is signed on the lower right corner "A. CAIN" in tidy script captured directly from the mold with raised edges around the signature and very minimal cold-tooling inside the letters. The delightfully thin rim gives some indication of the skill of the founder. The underside of the base retains the early foundry scribblings of "276" in red ink and "49" in black ink.
Literary references:
Bronzes of the 19th Century: A Dictionary of Sculptors, Pierre Kjellberg, Schiffer, 1994, p. 164 [reproduction of Cain's late 19th century catalogue featuring the present model as Grand Combat de Coqs no. 2 with dimensions of 53 cm x 40 cm x 25 cm and offered at a price of 500 francs]
Susse Frères: 150 Years of Sculpture, Pierre Cadet, Susse Frères, Paris, 1992, p. 232 [featuring the Mêne/Cain catalogue of 1902-1912, no. 232 as Combat de Coqs offered in 2 dimensions]
Dictionnaire des Sculpteurs de L'École Français, vol. I, Stanislas Lami, Kraus, 1914, p. 235
Measurements: 13 " H x 13 1/2" W [base] 16" W [wings] x 6 3/4" D [base] 13" D [wings]
Condition Report:
Small inward dent to the back edge of the base, this can be restored upon request; light handling wear to tips of feathers; some dullness to the patina in the recesses; spot of verdigris under one rooster's leg (visible by turning model upside down); otherwise no apparent flaws.
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_gsrx_vers_1436 (GS 9.0.5 (1436))