Early 20th Century Aimé Jules Dolou (French 1838-1902) Attr. Sculpture Statue "L Enfant Du Travail", Paris Foundry Stamp

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Aimé-Jules Dalou (French 1838-1902) attributed sculpture. The piece is impressed with an oval Paris Foundry stamp on the side of … Read more Aimé-Jules Dalou (French 1838-1902) attributed sculpture. The piece is impressed with an oval Paris Foundry stamp on the side of the base. I've closely examined and researched the stamp, with name in script, using a loupe I can make out Do__u. Next to the mark is impressed EA II/IV (EA stands for Epreuve d' Artiste (Artist's Proof).

Excellent, undamaged condition. Measures 12" height, the base is 4.5" in diameter. Unpackaged weight is 3.5 lbs.

Because of its huge popularity, the city of Paris posthumously authorized individual smaller gallery versions of the father and son groups to be cast from Dalou's studio models in 12" and 14" sizes. The series were crafted in bronze or grès (sandstone & plaster) utilizing special composite casting materials and ground minerals, which are visibly evident here. After much research I believe this is one of those authorized pieces.

Aimé-Jules Dalou’s iconic themes portrayed rural struggle, family bonds, and the working class. The sculpture is likely one of the posthumous castings modeled from the original 19th-century preserved master designs, possibly from the sculpture L'Enfant du Travail (Labour's Child) or L'Émigrant (The Emigrant) / La Famille d'Émigrants; which depicts a destitute, weary family on the move. In several variations, a fatigued and impoverished father carries his young, weak child to alleviate his exhaustion during their journey. The theme intends to show that the working class carries the future of Republic on it's shoulders.

Dalou spent the final decades of his life crafting over a hundred intimate, naturalistic sketches of actual factory workers and farm laborers. Several of these poignant daily-life models featured fathers supporting or carrying their children while out in the fields or traveling between farms. See less