Metadata
Title
Chasseur à Cheval
Creator
Pierre Nicolas Tourgueneff
Date
1890 (circa)
Description
A bronze equestrian statuette representing a "chasseur à cheval," a French cavalry soldier of the Napoleonic era. Faces left. Soldier is depicted wearing a short fur hat with plume; a coat with fur collar, cuffs and braided front with four rows of buttons; and boots with spurs. Hanging from the belt around the soldier's waist is a sword and cartridge box with an eagle badge. The horse carries the soldier's blanket roll. The statuette rests on an oval wooden base, which is painted black.
Born in Paris of Russian parents, Pierre Nicolas Tourgueneff (1854-1912) specialized in portrait and equestrian sculpture. He exhibited at the Paris Salon from 1880 to 1911, four times receiving honorable mentions and the Grand Prize at the Universal Exposition of 1889. Tourgueneff's realistic modeling of this uniformed soldier and horse reflects more than an artistic interest in his subject. He was a member of the Legion of Honor, achieving the rank of "Chevalier" in 1903, after twenty years of active service. The Legion of Honor, instituted by Napoleon in 1802, is France's highest honor for citizens of military or civil distinction.
Born in Paris of Russian parents, Pierre Nicolas Tourgueneff (1854-1912) specialized in portrait and equestrian sculpture. He exhibited at the Paris Salon from 1880 to 1911, four times receiving honorable mentions and the Grand Prize at the Universal Exposition of 1889. Tourgueneff's realistic modeling of this uniformed soldier and horse reflects more than an artistic interest in his subject. He was a member of the Legion of Honor, achieving the rank of "Chevalier" in 1903, after twenty years of active service. The Legion of Honor, instituted by Napoleon in 1802, is France's highest honor for citizens of military or civil distinction.
Extent
24.0" H
Medium
Bronze, wood
Provenance
Gift of Pauline T. Pease
Collection
General Collection, Museum Collection, The Athenaeum of Philadelphia
Identifier
1979.08.01
Rights
http://www.philaathenaeum.org/rights.html