Bidspirit auction | Knife grinder. E. De Labroue

Knife grinder. E. De Labroue (active in Paris, 1850-1880). Bronze with transparent hazelnut patina. - 21.5 x 8 x 8 cm This beautiful 19th-century cast reproduces an archaeological marble excavated during the Renaissance, now in the Uffizi Museum, Florence. It is signed by Labroue, one of the finest bronze sculptors active in Paris in the mid-19th century. The quality of his castings is unquestionable. His collaborations as a founder and engraver with the major sculptors of the time, such as Pradier and Carrier, are well known. Great artists have attempted to reproduce this curious subject since ancient times, both in Italy and in France. Critics have supposed that it was part of a composition reproducing the torture of Marsyas.