After Émile Louis Picault

After ÉMILE LOUIS PICAULT (Paris, 1833 - 1915).
"Pax et Labor", c. 1900
Sculpture in patinated bronze.
Signed "Picault" and titled.
Measurements: 53 x 26 x 26,5 cm.

In "Pax et Labor" (translated as "Peace and Work" from Latin) Émile Louis Picault depicts a working man (possibly a blacksmith or a riveter) at his moment of rest, with a hammer resting on the ground. It symbolizes the idea that work leads to peace. The one we are now bidding for is a work made after the artist.

Sculptor and medalist, Émile Louis Picault was a disciple of the Dutch sculptor Louis Royer. He developed his activity in Paris, and participated in the Salons des Artistes Français between 1863 and 1909. His success in the Salons brought him great recognition, and his works were in great demand. His work, very abundant, focuses mainly on allegorical, literary themes, figures of warriors and mythological heroes, often accompanied by slogans in Latin or French. He also produced works inspired by the Modern Age, within the taste of "art troubadour", worked in a style close to that of the neo-Florentines. His pieces have been the subject of numerous editions in bronze by prestigious firms such as Susse or Colin et Houdebine. Émile Picault is currently represented in the French museums of Orsay, Chambery, Clermont-Ferrard, Troyes and Mauberge, as well as in the Renfe Contemporary Sculpture collection.