“the wrestlers”, bisque group by Sèvres

A group sculpture in hard paste porcelain depicting two young figures draped in the classical style, captured in the midst of a grapple, on an oval plinth bearing the incised title ‘LES LUTTEURS’ (the wrestlers). The composition is built around a taut diagonal line. On the right, the figure in the foreground, bare-chested with her drapery slipped down to her hips, leans forwards, one knee bent, her right arm outstretched towards a basket of eggs resting on a pedestal. Behind her, the second figure—her hair bound with a headband, wearing a long tunic and a veil billowing with the movement—holds her in a tight embrace, one hand clenched over her face to push her away. The two bodies are entwined in a single knot: the sculptor has rendered the confrontation as a single compact form, clearly visible from every angle. The decoration elaborates on the scene. The small cylindrical plinth, adorned with a row of pearls and a relief depicting Cupid’s attributes, supports a woven wicker basket containing a heart. To its left stands a jug. The figures’ feet are clad in finely detailed strappy sandals. Marked ‘Sèvres’ with the date 1914. In very fine condition.

Dimensions: H 23 cm – W 19 cm – D 14 cm

Sèvres, c. 1914.

Lit: The model is documented under this title in the Sèvres catalogue. The National Museum of Ireland holds a Sèvres biscuit porcelain group identified as ‘Les Lutteurs (The Wrestlers)’, dated around 1860, standing 17 cm tall.

Lit: Biscuit porcelain was invented in Vincennes around 1751 and developed at Sèvres under the direction of Falconet. Biscuit porcelain is unglazed porcelain, whose fine, matt grain imitates statuary marble. With no glaze to conceal imperfections, it allows for neither retouching nor repair: each piece is removed from the mould, repaired by hand one by one, then fired at a very high temperature, resulting in a considerable loss rate. This is what makes biscuit porcelain the most demanding – and the most prestigious – product of the manufactory.