Isidore Lievin De Rudder

ISIDORE DE RUDDER (Belgium, 1855-1943).
"Neptune" (Neptune). Belgium.
Patinated bronze.
Technique: lost wax.
Signed on the front of the base: I. DE RUDDER
Indication "cire perdue" and foundry stamp on the back: "Fondeurs Charpentier Madeussi".
Measurements: 47 cm (height).

Isidore Lievin De Rudder was one of the most prominent Belgian sculptors of the late nineteenth century and first half of the twentieth century. Trained in the academic tradition, he developed a production that includes both monumental sculpture and cabinet pieces in bronze, characterized by a solid anatomical modeling and a naturalistic sensibility. His work is situated at the confluence between academic realism and a restrained expressiveness that anticipates certain modernist tendencies.

The present sculpture represents Neptune, Roman god of the sea, identified by the trident he holds and by the marine attributes that accompany him. The male figure appears naked, with powerful musculature and abundant beard, in a contrapposto posture that accentuates the monumentality despite its reduced format. The treatment of the torso and the restrained tension of the gesture reveal the anatomical mastery of the classical tradition, reinterpreted with realistic vigor.

The use of the lost wax technique and the casting by Charpentier Madeussi guarantee a high quality execution, appreciable in the richness of nuances of the patina and in the definition of the details, especially in the beard, the hair and the marine elements that structure the base. The piece combines mythological strength and technical refinement, usual qualities in De Rudder's production.

Trained at the Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels, Isidore Lievin De Rudder won second prize at the Prix de Rome in 1882, which allowed him to further his training in Germany, England and France. His work is preserved in numerous public spaces and museums in Belgium and France, including the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp and the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Brussels.