{"id":10839,"date":"2025-04-09T12:03:58","date_gmt":"2025-04-09T10:03:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.galerienicolasbourriaud.com\/produit\/le-voyageur-1878\/"},"modified":"2025-04-09T12:09:56","modified_gmt":"2025-04-09T10:09:56","slug":"le-voyageur-1878","status":"publish","type":"product","link":"https:\/\/www.galerienicolasbourriaud.com\/en\/produit\/le-voyageur-1878\/","title":{"rendered":"THE TRAVELER (1878)"},"content":{"rendered":"

The sculptural work of Ernest Meissonier, an artist renowned for his paintings of military scenes, was only revealed after his death in 1893 through two exhibitions: one at\u00a0Galerie Georges Petit<\/em>\u00a0and the other at the\u00a0\u00c9cole des Beaux-Arts<\/em>. This artistic pursuit, which he kept private and described as giving him an \u201cimmediate creative exhilaration,\u201d served solely to prepare his paintings, enhancing their realism. His almost scientific pursuit of precision led him to create wax models, whose malleability and three-dimensional nature allowed him to better understand spatial compositions, movements, and lighting effects for his paintings.<\/p>\n

Meissonier is believed to have begun using this technique as early as 1848, but he systematically employed it from 1860 onward in preparation for his ambitious project: painting the Napoleonic epic on five canvases. To this end, he created nineteen wax statuettes, nearly all equestrian, with the same meticulous attention to detail as if they were intended for casting\u2014though he never intended to have them produced as sculptures. Upon his death, these wax models were divided among his second wife and his children from his first marriage, Th\u00e9r\u00e8se and Charles. The latter later sold the reproduction rights to the\u00a0Galerie Georges Petit<\/em>, which decided to have some of them cast in bronze, commissioning the\u00a0Siot-Decauville<\/em>\u00a0foundry. Among these was\u00a0The Traveler<\/em>, also known as\u00a0Rider in the Wind<\/em>,\u00a0Marshal Ney<\/em>, or\u00a0Napoleon During the Retreat from Russia<\/em>.<\/p>\n

This sculpture is undoubtedly Meissonier\u2019s most famous three-dimensional work. It depicts a rider wearing a bicorne, struggling with his mount against the wind. The man, his cloak billowing, leans into the horse’s neck to counterbalance the animal\u2019s effort as it trudges forward, head bowed, mane and tail swept by the elements. Although the rider is intentionally left unidentified, the dramatic setting unmistakably evokes the harrowing conditions endured by the officers of Napoleon\u2019s army during the Russian campaign. The dramatic effect does not come at the expense of a highly detailed study of anatomy and movement.<\/p>\n

Examining the original wax model, now housed at the\u00a0Mus\u00e9e d’Orsay<\/em>, reveals the extraordinary realism Meissonier sought to achieve. The model incorporates a small plaster cast of a horse\u2019s skeleton, a fabric cape shaped to mimic the wind\u2019s effect, leather reins, and a metal armature to support the entire composition. The bronze version retains the dynamic modeling, evident in the musculature of the horse and the swirling motion of the rider\u2019s cape, accentuating the interplay of light and shadow that emphasizes their struggle against the elements.<\/p>\n

The model probably dates to 1878, as it has been established that Meissonier\u2019s wax maquettes served as starting points for his paintings\u2014either as standalone studies or as elements within larger compositions (Antoinette Le Normand, op. cit., p. 133). The earliest known graphic work by Meissonier featuring a rider battling the wind,\u00a0Gust of Wind<\/em>, was created in 1878. Several subsequent works on the same theme followed, culminating in paintings from 1880 and 1886, known from old photographs. The composition remained a recurring theme, leading to an unfinished painting,\u00a0Gust of Wind<\/em>, left incomplete at Meissonier\u2019s death in 1891.<\/p>\n

The bronze edition by\u00a0Siot-Decauville<\/em>\u00a0began in 1894. This foundry was renowned for the quality of its patinas, which explored new tonal variations through light cold oxidations that remained stable over time. The edition was limited to 50 casts, each numbered on the base\u2014a relatively novel practice, possibly a requirement set by\u00a0Georges Petit, the driving force behind the edition. Given the model\u2019s great success, 46 casts were produced and quickly acquired, as early as 1895, by national museums such as those in Lille and Bordeaux. The\u00a0Siot-Decauville\u00a0commercial catalog, published for the\u00a01900 Exposition Universelle<\/em>, confirms that the sculpture was still in production at that time. It probably remained available until the foundry closed in 1926.<\/p>\n

Our example, numbered 36, is likely to have been cast between 1910 and 1920.<\/p>\n

\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ernest MEISSONIER<\/span><\/h1>\n

Bronze with rich brown patina, signed “E. Meissonier”
\nPosthumous cast by\u00a0Siot Decauville<\/em>, numbered 36, with foundry mark.
\nH. 18 \u00bd x W. 24 x D. 7 \u00bd in.<\/p>\n

Cast before 1926<\/p>\n

Related works:\u00a0Wax, leather, and fabric model, Paris,\u00a0Mus\u00e9e d’Orsay<\/em>\u00a0(inv. RF 3672); similar bronze models in Lille,\u00a0Mus\u00e9e des Beaux-Arts<\/em>\u00a0(No. 5, inv. Sc 101); Reims,\u00a0Mus\u00e9e des Beaux-Arts<\/em>\u00a0(No. 1?, inv. 907.19.392); Bordeaux,\u00a0Mus\u00e9e des Beaux-Arts<\/em>\u00a0(No. 4, inv. Bx E 1136); Paris,\u00a0Mus\u00e9e de l’Arm\u00e9e<\/em>; Washington,\u00a0Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden<\/em>\u00a0(No. 15); Washington,\u00a0National Gallery<\/em>, Paul Mellon Collection (No. 31); Paris,\u00a0Mus\u00e9e du Louvre<\/em>,\u00a0A Rider in the Storm<\/em>, drawing, RF 2404, recto.<\/p>\n

Exhibitions:<\/p>\n

Meissonier<\/em>, Paris, Galerie Georges Petit, 1893, No. 837 (wax model)\u00a0; From Carpeaux to Matisse<\/em>, Lille, 1982, No. 143\u00a0; French Sculpture in the 19th Century<\/em>, Paris, Grand Palais, 1986, No. 66, p. 138, reproduced p. 139<\/p>\n

Bibliography: Claire Barbillon, Catherine Chevillot, St\u00e9phane Paccoud, and Ludmila Virassamyna\u00efken (eds.),\u00a0Catalogue raisonn\u00e9 of sculptures from the 17th to 20th centuries at the Mus\u00e9e des Beaux-Arts de Lyon<\/em>, Paris, 2017, pp. 289-295 ; M.-O. Gr\u00e9ard,\u00a0Jean-Louis Ernest Meissonier – His Memories \u2013 His Conversations<\/em>, Paris, 1897\u00a0; A. Le Normand-Romain,\u00a0“Le Voyageur by Meissonier”<\/em>,\u00a0La Revue du Louvre et des Mus\u00e9es de France<\/em>, 1985, pp. 129-135 ; Department of Sculptures of the Louvre Museum, Research Laboratory of the Museums of France<\/em>,\u00a0Wax Sculptures from Ancient Egypt to Abstract Art<\/em>, Paris, 1987,\u00a0Notes et documents<\/em>\u00a0No. 18 ; E. Lebon,\u00a0Dictionary of Art Bronze Founders<\/em>, Besan\u00e7on, 2003, p. 234 ; Complete Works of Meissonier<\/em>,\u00a0Le Voyageur<\/em>, oil on canvas, reproduced No. 451, Paris, c. 1880 ; “The Siot-Decauville Exhibition”<\/em>,\u00a0Le Figaro<\/em>, December 9, 1893, p. 1<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":10826,"template":"","meta":[],"product_brand":[],"product_cat":[267,315,256,269],"product_tag":[],"class_list":["post-10839","product","type-product","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","product_cat-chefs-d-oeuvre-en-vente-en","product_cat-ernest-meissonier-en","product_cat-galerie-quai-voltaire-en","product_cat-sculptures-xixeme-en","description-off","first","instock","shipping-taxable","product-type-simple"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.galerienicolasbourriaud.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product\/10839","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.galerienicolasbourriaud.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.galerienicolasbourriaud.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/product"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.galerienicolasbourriaud.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10826"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.galerienicolasbourriaud.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10839"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"product_brand","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.galerienicolasbourriaud.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_brand?post=10839"},{"taxonomy":"product_cat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.galerienicolasbourriaud.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_cat?post=10839"},{"taxonomy":"product_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.galerienicolasbourriaud.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_tag?post=10839"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}