Bidspirit auction | A BRONZE OF CARDINAL RICHELIEU

A BRONZE OF CARDINAL RICHELIEU 'THE PEN IS MIGHTIER THAN THE SWORD', 19TH CENTURY - A bronze sculpture of Cardinal Richelieu with a sword in his hand, from the famous scene in Act II of Edward Bulwer-Lytton's play 'Richelieu; Or the Conspiracy' in which the Cardinal declares that now famous line ”the pen is mightier than the sword”. England, 19th Century. An excerpt from the scene: {Francois brings Richelieu one of the long two-handed swords worn in the Middle Ages.) With this I, at Rochelle, did hand to hand engage The stalwart Englisher; no mongrels, boy, Those island mastiffs ; mark the notch— a deep one— His casque made here. I shore him to the waist! A toy, a feather, then! {Tries to wield, and lets it fall.) You see a child could Slay Richelieu now. FRANCOIS {his hand on his hilt). But now, at your command Are other weapons, my good lord. RICHELIEU {who hos Seated himself as to write, lifts the pen). True, THIS ! Beneath the rule of men entirely great The pen is mightier than the sword. Behold The arch-enchanter's wand ! itself a nothing ! But taking sorcery from the master-hand To paralyze the Caesars, and to strike The loud earth breathless ! Take away the sword ; States can be saved without it ! Please make all inquiries before bidding. All lots are sold ”as-is”, refer to our T&C. Helios Auctions does not ship in-house. A list of recommended shippers will be provided. Dimensions: H: 8 1/2 in. (21 cm) Condition: Very good with a nice patina. A thin line of blue substance near top of sculpture, could be cleaned off.