{"title":"Sculpture","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"antique-european-walnut-madonna-figure-polychrome","title":"Antique European Walnut Madonna Statue | 18th–19th Century Hand-Carved Polychrome","description":"\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eA devotional figure carved from walnut, the surface worn back to wood across two centuries of candlelight, prayer, and quiet keeping — exactly the patina the current market knows how to read.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eThe Madonna stands in flowing robes, hands clasped at the chest, draperies sweeping outward in a confident Baroque-influenced sweep. Beneath her, a rounded base carved with the heads of cherubim — the iconography of the Immaculate Conception, the Virgin standing upon clouds attended by angels — set on a square walnut plinth. Traces of the original polychrome remain in the recesses of the carving, the white and ochre tones softened to suggestion rather than statement. Where the paint has lifted, the walnut shows warm honey-brown beneath, the figure now reading more as sculpture than as painted devotional object.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eEuropean, 18th to 19th century. The carving is accomplished — the drapery folds correctly weighted, the cherub heads dimensional and considered, the proportions of the standing figure sure. This is the work of a trained ecclesiastical carver, the kind of piece that occupied a niche in a chapel or a domestic altar through several generations before its paint began to fade.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eThe contemporary market reads pieces like this as both devotional history and as sculpture — they sit equally well in a study, an entryway, beside a stack of leather-bound books, on a console with carved wood and stone. The wear is the language. The patina is the value.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eCONDITION: Heavy paint loss with traces of original polychrome remaining — the worn surface is authentic age and reads as the desired aesthetic in this category, not as damage. Crown of head shows wear consistent with age. Walnut sound throughout. Cherub-carved base intact. On original square plinth. Sold as a sculptural object whose condition is part of its character.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Valley House Antiques","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46990851211417,"sku":null,"price":495.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0721\/1270\/1593\/files\/229258296_1_x.png?v=1777221009"},{"product_id":"antique-european-walnut-madonna-immaculate-conception","title":"Antique European Walnut Madonna Statue | 18th–19th Century Immaculate Conception","description":"\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eThe Immaculate Conception, carved in walnut — a Madonna in textbook form, hands clasped in prayer, hair flowing loose over her shoulders, draperies falling in confident folds to the cherub-and-serpent base beneath her feet.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eThe iconography is one of the most theologically specific in all of Christian sculpture. The Virgin stands above clouds peopled with cherubim, and beneath the clouds, the serpent of Genesis 3:15 lies coiled — \"she shall crush thy head.\" It is the imagery of Murillo's great paintings, of Spanish and Portuguese church sculpture, of the high Catholic devotional tradition that produced its most refined work in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eThe carving here is the work of a trained ecclesiastical hand. The face is clearly modeled — eyes open, expression contemplative, the long hair falling in carved strands across the shoulders. The cherub heads at the base are dimensional and considered. The serpent's scaled body is articulated with care. The drapery moves with weight and conviction. The whole composition rises from an octagonal plinth carved with a rope-twist edge — the kind of finished base that signals chapel-quality work, not domestic primitive.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eTwo centuries of candlelight and quiet keeping have settled into the walnut, the surface darkened to a rich devotional patina. Where the polychrome once was, the wood now carries the figure on its own.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eA piece of this iconographic specificity and carving quality belongs equally well in a study, an entryway, on a console, or — the original purpose — in a domestic altar or chapel niche. It carries the weight of its tradition without insisting upon it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCONDITION:\u003c\/strong\u003e Walnut sound throughout. Rich dark patina. Carving intact across the figure, base, and serpent. Octagonal plinth secure. Some traces of original polychrome remain in the recesses. Wear consistent with age and use, no significant losses to the carving itself. Strong condition for a piece of this period.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDETAILS:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul class=\"[li_\u0026amp;]:mb-0 [li_\u0026amp;]:mt-1 [li_\u0026amp;]:gap-1 [\u0026amp;:not(:last-child)_ul]:pb-1 [\u0026amp;:not(:last-child)_ol]:pb-1 list-disc flex flex-col gap-1 pl-8 mb-3\"\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"whitespace-normal break-words pl-2\"\u003eMaterial: Walnut, hand-carved, with traces of original polychrome\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"whitespace-normal break-words pl-2\"\u003eSubject: Madonna of the Immaculate Conception (Virgin standing on clouds with cherubim and serpent at feet)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"whitespace-normal break-words pl-2\"\u003eIconography: Genesis 3:15 \/ Revelation 12 — the standard composition of the Immaculate Conception\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"whitespace-normal break-words pl-2\"\u003eOrigin: European\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"whitespace-normal break-words pl-2\"\u003ePeriod: 18th to 19th century\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"whitespace-normal break-words pl-2\"\u003eHeight: 14 inches with stand\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"Valley House Antiques","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46990868480153,"sku":null,"price":595.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0721\/1270\/1593\/files\/229258296_2_x.png?v=1777222375"},{"product_id":"ferdinand-pautrot-signed-bronze-bird-sculpture","title":"Ferdinand Pautrot, French Bronze Bird Sculpture, Signed F. Pautrot, Animalier, 19th c.","description":"\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eA patinated bronze of a wild bird with wings spread, caught in the moment of alighting on an oak branch — head turned downward, beak parted, long tail trailing back, every feather rendered with the observational precision that defined the French animalier tradition. Signed in raised cast lettering on the front of the base: F. PAUTROT. Ferdinand Pautrot (French, 1832–1874) worked in Paris alongside Pierre-Jules Mêne, Jules Moigniez, and Christophe Fratin, specializing in birds and hunting subjects. His bronzes were exhibited at the Paris Salon and his finest casts carry the Admis aux Beaux-Arts designation. He died at forty-two, leaving a substantial body of work continuously collected since. Warm olive-green patina with natural verdigris in recesses; casting quality strong throughout. No foundry mark beyond signature. 10 in H × 10 in W. Bronze sound; no damage; patina original and unrestored.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Valley House Antiques","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46991052079257,"sku":null,"price":625.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0721\/1270\/1593\/files\/IMG_7288.jpg?v=1778694086"},{"product_id":"antique-french-bronze-setter-on-point-after-p-j-mene-19th-century","title":"Antique French Bronze Setter on Point, P.J. Mêne 19th Century","description":"\u003cp\u003ePeriod French bronze figure of a setter on point, signed P.J. Mêne, from the workshop tradition of Pierre-Jules Mêne (French, 1810-1879) — the pioneering 19th-century animalier sculptor whose small sporting bronzes defined Second Empire bourgeois taste and remain the reference standard for the genre.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe setter is rendered mid-stride with head lowered, ears pendant, and plume tail extended in a textbook hunting pose drawn from Mêne's celebrated sporting compositions of the 1850s-1860s. Mounted on an integral oval naturalistic ground base with cast tufted grass, signed P.J. MÊNE in raised letters to the side of the base.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHollow lost-wax cast construction with period foundry core supports visible on the underside — consistent with authentic 19th century French animalier production practice. The patina is original aged surface: dark brown base color with green oxidation collecting in recesses and gold-bronze high-point wear from generations of handling. No breaks, repairs, or losses. Sits flat and stable.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA cabinet-scale period bronze for the library desk, sporting collection, or gentleman's study.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 2 × 3.5 in\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMaterial:\u003c\/strong\u003e Patinated bronze\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOrigin:\u003c\/strong\u003e France\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePeriod:\u003c\/strong\u003e Second half 19th century\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSigned:\u003c\/strong\u003e P.J. MÊNE (cast signature to base)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCondition:\u003c\/strong\u003e Original aged patina with handling wear consistent with age; casting detail fully intact.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Valley House Antiques","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47851586584729,"sku":null,"price":325.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0721\/1270\/1593\/files\/IMG_7207.jpg?v=1779721715"}],"url":"https:\/\/valleyhouseantiques.com\/collections\/sculpture.oembed","provider":"Valley House Antiques","version":"1.0","type":"link"}