First Quarter of the XX Century
Height: 39 cm
Patinated bronze. Standing figure modelled as an Officer of the Foot Grenadiers of the Imperial Guard. Signed ‘Malespina’ on the naturalistic base.
Louis Malespina (1874-1949) was a French painter, illustrator and sculptor. Originating from Lorraine, he became best known for his race horse paintings. He competed in the painting discplines in the 1928 and 1932 Olympics, and made a living as a book illustrator specializing military scenes and cavalry charges, and also some landscapes. In 1915, he was appointed an official war artist. He exhibited at the Salon where he won a gold medal in 1925. Malespina was a student of Fernand Cormon and Édouard Detaille.