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Not currently on display at the V&A

Saint George

Statuette
ca. 1890 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

The French sculptor Emmanuel Frémiet specialised in small-scale bronzes of animals and also of soldiers and equestrian figures. The V&A has several examples. A number were produced by him in editions and sold commercially. He also created several works of humans and animals in combat. of which the statuette of St. George, exhibited at the 1891 Paris Salon (no.2522), is the best known. The V&A bought this particular example in 1896. A larger version was shown on Frémiet's stand at the Paris 1900 Exhibition.

In 1840 Frémiet had entered the studio of Jacques-Christophe Werner, lithographer and principal painter at the Muséum National d’histoire naturelle, France’s National Museum of Natural History in the Jardin des Plantes, Paris. Here he first studied anatomy and drew studies of animals from life and later succeeded Antoine-Louis Barye as Professor of Drawing. He was influenced by Barye, famous for his animal sculptures, and also by François Rude under whom he had studied sculpture. Following some forty years' work producing sculptures of animals in various contexts, Frémiet's St George and the Dragon is typical of the romantic medievalism of the later 19th century.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleSaint George (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Bronze statuette
Brief description
Bronze statuette of St. George slaying the Dragon by Emmanuel Frémiet, Paris, about 1891
Physical description
Group of St George and the Dragon, in cast bronze. St. George, fully armed and on horseback, is shown in the act of slaying the dragon with his spear. Signed 'E. Fremiet'.
Dimensions
  • Height: 50cm
  • Width: 45cm
  • Depth: 39cm
Dims taken by SCP Oct 05
Gallery label
  • Bronze Figure: 'St. George' About 1890 Shown at the Paris Salon 1891 and the International Exhibition, Paris, 1900. This figure is typical of Frémiet's romantic medievalism. His sculpture business consisted mainly of bronze animals and soldiers. Sand cast and so relatively cheap, they were popular with middle-class buyers.(31/03/2017)
  • 'American and European Art and Design 1800-1900' Fremiet's sculpture business was based on his bronzes of animals and soldiers, which he produced and sold between 1885 and 1892. The St. George, exhibited at the 1891 Paris Salon, is typical: it was shown on Fremiet's stand at the Paris 1900 Exhibition. Its romantic medievalism is also seen in his large equestrian group of St. Joan of Arc. The theme of combat links it with his startling Gorilla carrying off a Woman, in which the drama of romantic sculpture illustrated issues raised in the contemporary debate about Darwinism.(1987-2006)
Object history
Original bronze statyuette of 'St George' exhibited at the 1891 Paris Salon. This example purchased by the V&A in 1896 (and displayed in Bethnal Green Museum, before this became the Museum of Childhood). Larger version of this subject shown on Frémiet's stand at the Paris 1900 Exhibition.
Historical context
Fremiet's sculpture business was based on his bronzes of animals and soldiers, which he produced and sold between 1885 and 1892.
Subjects depicted
Summary
The French sculptor Emmanuel Frémiet specialised in small-scale bronzes of animals and also of soldiers and equestrian figures. The V&A has several examples. A number were produced by him in editions and sold commercially. He also created several works of humans and animals in combat. of which the statuette of St. George, exhibited at the 1891 Paris Salon (no.2522), is the best known. The V&A bought this particular example in 1896. A larger version was shown on Frémiet's stand at the Paris 1900 Exhibition.

In 1840 Frémiet had entered the studio of Jacques-Christophe Werner, lithographer and principal painter at the Muséum National d’histoire naturelle, France’s National Museum of Natural History in the Jardin des Plantes, Paris. Here he first studied anatomy and drew studies of animals from life and later succeeded Antoine-Louis Barye as Professor of Drawing. He was influenced by Barye, famous for his animal sculptures, and also by François Rude under whom he had studied sculpture. Following some forty years' work producing sculptures of animals in various contexts, Frémiet's St George and the Dragon is typical of the romantic medievalism of the later 19th century.
Associated object
W.12B-1967 (Plinth)
Bibliographic reference
List of Objects in the Art Division South Kensington Museum acquired during the Year 1896. Arranged according to the dates of acquisition, with appendix and indices. London: Her Majesty's Stationary Office. Wyman and Sons. 1900. pp.43
Collection
Accession number
255-1896

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Record createdApril 27, 2006
Record URL
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