Rembrandt Bugatti

Galerie A.-A. Hébrard, 1927

(...)

Bernard Laurent collection, Villefranche-sur-Mer

Thence by descent to the present owner

Salon des peintres divisitonnistes italiens, exhibition catalogue, Galerie Alberto Grubicy, Paris, 1 September - 15 October 1907, the model referenced under n°162, p. 9

Section d'art moderne italien au Salon d'automne 1909, exhibition catalogue, Grand Palais des Champs-Elysées, Paris, October 1 - November 8 1909, the model referenced under n°89, p. 13

Exposition rétrospective d’un ensemble d’oeuvres du sculpteur animalier Rembrandt Bugatti, 1885-1916, exhibition catalogue, Société Royale de zoologie d’Anvers, Antwerp, 1955, the model referenced under n°12, n. p.

Salon d'Automne 1973, exhibition catalogue , Paris, 17 October - 19 November 1973, the model referenced under n°1, p. 55-56.

Mary Harvey, The Bronzes of Rembrandt Bugatti, London, 1979, the model referenced under n° 126, p. 86

Philippe Dejean, Carlo-Rembrandt-Ettore-Jean Bugatti, Paris, 1981, p. 214-215 

Jacques Chalom des Cordes, Véronique Fromanger, Rembrandt Bugatti. Catalogue raisonné, Paris, 1987, p. 124-125

Edward Horswell, Rembrandt Bugatti. Life in sculpture, London, Sladmore Gallery, 2004, p. 193

Véronique Fromanger, Rembrandt Bugatti Répertoire monographique, 2009, Paris, the model referenced under n° 188, p. 295

Véronique Fromanger, Rembrandt Bugatti, Sculpteur - Répertoire Monographique, Paris, 2025, the model referenced under n° 192, p. 324

Within Rembrandt Bugatti's repertoire, the Serpent or Royal Python occupies a singular place. Although Bugatti was primarily concerned with large mammals, he was captivated by the reptile's mysterious allure. Fascinated by its undulating, rolling body, he captured its movement with remarkable force.

Here, Bugatti goes straight to the point: he sculpts the material, revealing the traces of his modelling as if to accompany the movement. The form follows the gesture, fluid and instinctive. The erect head is treated with greater precision, and the animal's piercing gaze seems to capture a contained tension.

At just 23 years old, Bugatti accurately captures the power and grace of this animal, whose symbolism spans time and cultures.

The Serpent was exhibited in 1907 at the Salon des peintres divisionnistes italiens by Galerie A. Grubicy in Paris, at the Salon d'Automne in 1909 and in 1955 at the retrospective exhibition organized by the Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp.

Only six examples are known to date.

The original plaster cast, from the Ebé Bugatti collection, is now in the Musée d'Orsay collections.

This lot is sold with a certificate of authenticity from Mrs Véronique Fromanger.