Octave Galliard-Sansonetti

OCTAVE GALLIARD-SANSONETTI (1865-1924).
"Galloping horse".
Cast iron.
Signed.
Measurements: 180 x 290 x 130 cm.

The monumental sculpture that occupies us represents a horse in full race on a rock base with vegetation, with the four legs in the air in a very naturalistic posture of gallop. The texture of the cast iron has acquired over time a warm reddish-ochre patina with bluish flashes, characteristic of the oxidation of pieces of a certain age, especially if they have been exposed to water or various environmental factors, as in this case, as it must have been part of a larger sculptural ensemble for a fountain.

The "Musée de Pau" conserves an identical work in bronze and of smaller size, which confirms that the model was conceived to exist in different materials and scales, this cast iron version being the most monumental.

Octave Galliard Sansonetti was born in Nancy and was a pupil of Raphaël Collin and Geoffroy. He worked in the tradition of 19th century French animalistic realism, heir to sculptors such as Mêne and Fratin, with a marked interest in the anatomy and movement of the horse.