Wild Boar - Alfred Dubucan 1828-1894

Dimensions Height: approx. 12.5 cm Width: approx. 7 cm Length: approx. 15 cm Ovoid base: approx. 15 X 7 cm Weight: 1,473 grams Signature Signed intaglio on the motif

The sculptor captured this wild boar, frozen by fear. The wild boar, with its short, fast legs and sharp tusks, is a surprisingly shy animal that avoids humans as much as it can. However, it becomes fearsome and ferocious if cornered. Known since Antiquity (remember the Erymanthian boar, fourth of his twelve labors, which Ulysses defeated). A symbol of courage and savagery, a mythical animal for some, a brutal and unbridled beast for others, the wild boar is mixed up in the beliefs and daily life of man. It is a human ordeal to hunt it. What hunter has not dreamed of chasing a wild boar and being the victor, Albert Dubucand, a great lover of nature and animals, and a great hunter before the Eternal, could not fail to give his version of it with his fine and precise chisel. Alfred DUBUCAND came to sculpture late. The Salon Booklets say that he was a student of the great animal sculptor Antoine-Louis BARYE (1795-1875) and of Pierre Louis ROUILLARD (1820-1881), his near contemporary, also a renowned animal sculptor, but they are silent on the motivations that finally led him to this art. Alfred DUBUCAND presented his first work at the 1867 Salon. With remarkable regularity, he was present at each Salon until 1883, presenting two works. One, a new work in wax (or plaster) the other in bronze, which is in fact the work presented in wax the previous year. During his 16 years of participation in the Salons, he never deviated from this method and was awarded a third class medal in 1879 for his Persian Hunter! From his masters, in addition to the technique, he retained the theme. Very observant, he rendered his animals with a great sense of realism and detail, an impressive ability to capture suspended movement, a finesse and elegance of chiseling that placed him in the category of highly talented animal sculptors. Captivated by the theme of hunting, he produced many small bronzes that met with great success. When suddenly he discovered the Orient and its magic. Did he spend time in Algeria or Egypt? In any case, he drew a large part of his inspiration from the orientalist theme, he created many orientalist groups depicting Maghreb fauna that he sometimes staged with humans. He married Léontine WAIDÈLE on July 8, 1856, with whom he had three children. A daughter Charlotte who married a jeweler from Châteaudun who became the mayor and deputy of Eure-et-Loire, a son Albert to whom he taught sculpture. The latter perfected his skills in the workshop of Justin Marie LEQUIEN (1796-1881) and he exhibited at the Salons from 1885. His youngest, Emma, married a notary from Châteaudun.

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