Bucheron
The Woodsman
A bronze sculpture by Mathurin Moreau

 

We bought this mantle clock and two candlebra set
at an antique store in Denver in the late 1990s.

We've tried to research the sculpture with little success.
There must have been more castings.

We've placed this page on the Internet in hopes someone else researching
this sculpture or this sculptor will find it and contact us.

was the son of Jean-Baptiste Moreau (1797–1855).
And, in turn, was the teacher (and brother) of Auguste Moreau (1834–1917),
the sculptor, who was perhaps even more successful than Mathurin.

The nameplate below the clock (photo below) says
Bûcheron
Par Math. Moreau (Hors-Concours)
(hors-concours means not done for a competition)

Inside the base, the clock is dated Paris 1900

                                             



Our sculpture is slightly damaged. Bucheron's axhead has been broken off and glued back.
Both candlelabras have cracks in the arms that hold the candles.
Though the damage probably occurred in shipping to the U.S. in the 1990s,
 we've fantasized a history for the clock
in which this damage occurred in Paris during one of the World Wars.
In the year 2000, as the clock chimed the turn of the millennium, we toasted Bucheron's hundredth birthday.

If you know anything about this sculpture, we'd certainly be interested in hearing. Email: tobyjohnso@aol.com

---

This link to a site called Tracadero used to bring up a zinc casting http://www.trocadero.com/alternatives/items/297461/en1.html
of the same statute (without the clock and candlelabras) at a dealer called Antiques by Alternatives.
Neither site brings up the listing; so the statue must have sold. You can search Tracadero for Moreau and find other works by him or his son.
Here's what it says about this version


Zinc sculpture on verde green marble base 'Bucheron' (Woodcutter). Late 19th century, bears a small brass disc on the bottom back (France, Paris Fabrication seal) and a title disc on the front set into a laurel wreath. ('Hors Concourse', artist and title) . Early regule casting from the original mold, not a reproduction. Very good condition, sharp details, some loss of the original bronze patina. There is one small crack in the marble of the base, but this is stable and does not detract from the appearance or value. Well listed French artist, Mathurin Moreau (1822-1912). Sculpture and base dimensions: 73 cm high x 21 cm wide, 9 kgs (28.76 inches x 8.27 inches, 19.84 lbs) Will ship from France. Please email for more pictures, as only 4 are allowed here.





























Here's a bio of Mathurin Moreau

(b Dijon, 18 Nov 1822; d Paris, 14 Feb 1912). French sculptor and entrepreneur. His father, Jean-Baptiste Moreau (1797–1855), a sculptor in Dijon, was best known for his restoration of the medieval tombs of the Dukes of Burgundy, which had been damaged during the French Revolution. In 1841 Mathurin entered the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, Paris, where he trained under Etienne-Jules Ramey and Augustin-Alexandre Dumont. He made his Salon début in 1848 with Elegy (plaster, Dijon, Mus. B.-A.). In 1852 his Flower Fairy , exhibited at the Salon in plaster, was commissioned by the State in bronze (Dijon, Mus. B.-A.). At the 1861 Salon, his marble Spinner was also bought by the State, for the Musée du Luxembourg, Paris (version, Dijon. Mus. B.-A.). Poetic and uncontentious works of this kind continued to earn Moreau medals and prizes at subsequent Salons and international exhibitions. Among his public works, he contributed decorative sculpture to the new Opéra and to the rebuilt Hôtel de Ville in Paris, and also produced some commemorative statues, such as that in Dijon to Sadi Carnot , President of the French Republic (marble and bronze, 1899; Dijon, Place de la République), which he executed in collaboration with Paul Gasq (b 1860; fl 1881–1909). However, it was probably the extent of his entrepreneurial activities that won for Moreau an influential position in public life. Having provided many sculpture models for commercial exploitation by the Val d’Osne foundry, he became one of the administrators of the Société du Val d’Osne. Together with his pupil and namesake, Auguste Moreau (1834–1917), he continued, well into the 20th century, to supply models for the manufacture of decorative bronze statuettes that were wholly untouched by more avant-garde endeavours. From 1878 Moreau was mayor of the 19th arrondissement in Paris. The Civil Marriage , a painting by Henri Gervex that hangs in the Salle des Mariages of the Mairie of that arrondissement, shows Moreau officiating at his son’s civil marriage ceremony, before a distinguished audience.