"the Apollo Sauroctaune" Cast Iron From The Val d'Osne Art Foundry. 19th Century.

Very beautiful cast iron statue, on its base representing the Apollo Sauroctaune or the Lizard Killer Apollo. Inspired by the marble statue "The Borghese Sauroctone" kept at the Louvre Museum, our Apollo is not naked but dressed in a sheet surrounding his hip and going up on his shoulder. He is presented slightly swaying, the bust leaning to the left, with his left hand raised, and his right hand ready to catch a lizard climbing the tree trunk on which he is leaning. The Val d'Osne Art Foundry was created in 1836, famous for its high quality cast iron, it quickly became the most important production of art cast iron in France, until the beginning of the 20th century. We owe him the famous Wallace fountains, and the candelabras indicating the Metro stations. Great sculptors such as Mathurin Moreau, Edouard Delabriere or Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse worked there as sculptors. Around 1860, a series of "Antiques" sculptures was created, including our Apollo, see attached files with photos. The base also comes from the foundry, we can also see it on the attached files. Very beautiful set, of a good size, the Apollo is 106cm for about 100kg, the base is 70cm for roughly the same weight. This cast iron statue can decorate a beautiful garden as well as a beautiful interior. Beautiful patina of time, to note, a hole in the base, a hole in the trunk of the tree, and perhaps a restoration at the top of the left arm of the Apollo (perhaps a weld at the junction), we see it in the photos. Weight of the whole, (Apollo and base) approximately 180kg.