Joseph BERNARD (1866-1931) - Lot 91

Joseph BERNARD (1866-1931) Young girl at her toilette, also known as young girl styling her hair, seated Model created in 1912 Bronze with shaded brown patina Signed on the back "J.Bernard", numbered 8 Foundry stamp Claude Valsuani "Cire perdue C.Valsani". 64 x 26 x 24 cm Bibliography Catalog raisonné Joseph Bernard, similar model referenced and reproduced under N°183, page 310. Exhibition of a similar model: Paris, Musée de l'Orangerie 1932, catalog no. 45; Nice 1963-64, catalog no. 7. Kjellberg, similar model, page 91. Didier Chautant, Recherches sur la vie et l'œuvre de Joseph Bernard 1866-1931 : sculpteur français, Paris, 1977, n°151, p.66 and pp.70-71. Luc Benoit, "Joseph Bernard (1866-1931)", Gazette Drouot, 1932, vol. 2, pp.217-228. Sylvie Carlier, Alice Massé, Joseph Bernard, De Pierre et de volupté, cat. exhibition, Villefranche-sur-Saône, Musée municipal Paul Dini, October 18, 2020 - April 25, 2021, Roubaix, Musée d'Art et d'Industrie André-Diligent, March 20 - June 20, 2021, Gand, Editions Snoeck, 2020, pp.260-261. Related work: Jeune fille à sa toilette, ou Jeune fille se coiffant assise, circa 1912, bronze, signed, with Alexis Rudier founder's stamp, 156 x 57 x 56.5 cm, Lyon, Musée des Beaux-Arts, inv. 1937-38. Commentary: Jeune fille à sa toilette, also known as Jeune fille se coiffant assise, is a bronze by Joseph Bernard, dating from 1912. The model embodies the delicacy and sensuality characteristic of the artist's work, who excelled in depicting the female form. Work on the nuanced brown patina adds depth and texture to the sculpture, accentuating the details and fluidity of the girl's movement. This work, signed and numbered 8, was cast by Claude Valsuani, one of the most prestigious foundrymen of the period. The model is well documented in Joseph Bernard's catalog raisonné and has been exhibited on several occasions, including at the Musée de l'Orangerie in 1932 and at the Musée d'Art et d'Industrie André-Diligent in Roubaix in 2021. A similar model is kept at the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Lyon. This sculpture is a choice piece for collectors of early twentieth-century art, particularly those interested in the art of Joseph Bernard and the evolution of French sculpture.