Charles Anfrie —Rare 24.5” French Belle Époque Patriotic Military Bronze— Salon 1886

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Charles Anfrie —Rare 24.5” French Belle Époque Patriotic Military Bronze— Salon 1886

French Academic Realism - Bronze sculpture - Signed … Read more Charles Anfrie —Rare 24.5” French Belle Époque Patriotic Military Bronze— Salon 1886

French Academic Realism - Bronze sculpture - Signed ,inscribed and deated 1886
Dimensions: height 24 1/2in (62cm); width 8in (20cm); depth 7in (18cm)

Description:
This exceptionally fine, full-size late 19th-century patinated bronze sculpture, titled "Quand vous voudrez" ("Whenever You Want"), is a masterwork by the celebrated French sculptor Charles Anfrie (1833–1905). Standing an imposing 24 ½ inches (62 cm) in height, the work is cast with a rich, multi-toned chocolate brown patina that accentuates the crispness of its chasing and the nuanced textures of the bronze surface.
The sculpture captures a Capitaine of the Chasseurs à cheval (French Light Cavalry) standing in a posture of proud, unyielding defiance. His arms are tightly crossed over his chest, his head turned slightly to his left with a piercing, steadfast gaze beneath the brim of his military kepi. Every detail of his uniform is rendered with meticulous accuracy to the post-Franco-Prussian War era of the 1880s—from the structured tailoring and decorative horizontal braiding (brandebourgs) across his cavalry tunic (Attila jacket), to the company-grade officer's medal pinned to his breast, the slung holster at his hip, and the elegant dress sabre resting against his left leg. The captain’s high riding boots, complete with detailed straps and spurs, anchor him firmly to the ground.The officer stands upon a naturalistic, rugged rocky terrain base. At his feet lies a partially unrolled topographical scroll inscribed with the poignant and politically charged words "FRANCE / à l'Alsace Lorraine". This cartographic detail explicitly places the work within the context of French Revanchisme in the decades following the Franco-Prussian War (1870–1871), when light cavalry units held the heavy tactical responsibility of border patrol. The bold inscription on the front facet of the base, "Quand vous voudrez", serves as the captain's silent, resolute declaration of readiness to command his troop to reclaim the lost territories.The side of the base features the crisp, incised signature "Anfrie", accompanied by the exhibition notation "Salon des Beaux-arts 1886", firmly placing this model at the height of academic French salon production. The underside reveals a clean, hollow-cast interior consistent with late-19th-century Parisian foundry practices, retaining its original structural mounting pins and structural integrity.

Artist Biography:
Charles Anfrie (French, 1833–1905) was a prominent French sculptor of the Academic school, active during the mid-to-late 19th century. Born in France in 1833, Anfrie developed a highly regarded reputation for his refined technical skill, precision in modeling, and ability to capture dramatic narrative tension within the medium of cast bronze.Anfrie belonged to a generation of artists whose mature careers were profoundly shaped by the socio-political fallout of the Franco-Prussian War (1870–1871) and the subsequent rise of the French Third Republic. As France grappled with national trauma and the loss of the Alsace-Lorraine territories, a powerful wave of patriotism swept through the arts. Anfrie became one of the foremost sculptors to translate this national sentiment into tangible, domestic-scale bronze masterpieces.He exhibited regularly at the prestigious Salon des Beaux-Arts in Paris, most notably showcasing the model for this very sculpture in 1886. His oeuvre is defined by several core themes:
Military and Historical Subjects: Anfrie was celebrated for his heroic depictions of soldiers, officers, and historical figures, capturing them not just in active combat, but in moments of quiet psychological intensity.
Allegorical and Classical Figures: Beyond military works, he produced elegant, classical allegories and genre scenes that demonstrated his versatility with the human form.
Thematic Companion Pairs: He frequently designed his works as conceptual pairs—such as matching "Quand vous voudrez" with its combat counterpart "Sur la Brèche" ("On the Breach")—allowing collectors to display a narrative arc within their salons.
Anfrie's style is characterized by an uncompromising dedication to realism. He rejected the softer, impressionistic textures that began to emerge late in the century, favoring instead the clean, crisp lines, exact costume details, and highly polished anatomy championed by the École des Beaux-Arts. Working closely with premier Parisian foundries, his bronzes were edited in various sizes to satisfy the high demand of the late-Victorian art market. Today, Charles Anfrie’s sculptures are highly sought after by collectors of military history and 19th-century French bronze art, preserved in private collections and institutions globally as enduring symbols of Belle Époque craftsmanship and French national identity. See less