IMAGE DETAILS

Univers du Bronze

Rembrandt Bugatti (Milan 1884-1916 Paris)
Deux grands léopards, circa 1913-1914
Bronze, richly shaded black brown patina 
H 32.5 x W 108.7 x D 16.7 cm
Bronze signed 'R.Bugatti', cast by Albino Palazzolo for 'A.A Hébrard cire perdue, Paris' (seal), second example inscribed (2) from an identified edition at 8 examples (circa 1914-1934) 
Cast in 1918

This model is typical of Bugatti’s way of depicting couples in a peaceful attitude, insisting on fluidity of line and delicacy of modelling: the first Leopard’s barely raised its left foreleg – a hesitation to walk ? – and the tail of the second, extending the scene to the rear, are the signatures of his work. The group belongs to the sculptor’s so-called cubist period, when volumes become as if mathematized; and finally, of the patinas known for this model, the naturalistic red-brown color is the most suited to the subject and also the one most sought-after by collectors.
In Rembrandt Bugatti’s 326-issues in the catalogue raisonné, the Deux grands léopards are one of the most imposing groups of beasts in this collection, after Les trois panthères marchant from Bonhams in 2024 and the Deux panthères from Rouillac in 2020.
The edition is identified at 8 examples, all cast between 1915 and 1934, ours is the second, cast in 1918.