RENOIR, Pierre-Auguste

Limoges, Haute-Vienne 1841 - Cagnes-sur-Mer, Alpes-Maritimes 1919

GUINO, Richard

Girona, Spain 1890 - Antony, Hauts-de-Seine 1973

Maker: Valsuani, C.

Feu, ou Petit forgeron

Fire or The Small Blacksmith

1916

bronze

statuette

Dimensions (HxWxD): H. 14 in.

on rear base: CIRE / C. VALSUANI / PERDUE

Acc. No.: 1956.26

Credit Line: Museum purchase

Photo credit: Davis Museum and Cultural Center, Wellesley College 2010

© Artist : public domain; © Artist : Fair Use (Section 107, Copyright Act 1976)

Wellesley, Massachusetts, Davis Museum and Cultural Center

www.davismuseum.wellesley.edu

Provenance

• The Renoir family
• London, Alex Reid and Lefèvre Gallery
• Boston, Swelzoff Gallery
• John McAndrew and Agnes Abbot

Bibliography

• Museum's website, January 20, 2013

Comment

• Museum's label text, 2011:
  Renoir did very few sculptures in comparison to the number of paintings, most of them executed at a very late date in his life. After 1911, Renoir was permanently tied to his wheelchair, from which he would guide his assistants with bamboo stick.
  This figure belongs to a complementary pair, one symbolizing fire, the other water. It was developed from various sketches by Renoir of one of his favorite models, Gabrielle.
  The piece was first cast in terracotta and from there later cast in plaster. A limited first edition was done by Vollard in 1919.
  Our work belongs to a last and second edition, and was intended to be a study for a larger statue. This project was never executed because of a dispute between Renoir and his talented young Catalan assistant, Guino, in 1918.

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