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Auction: 26063 - Where History Meets Passion - SPINK x BUDDS Live Auction
Lot: 85

"A Monumental French bronze sculpture “The Steeplechase” by Isidore Jules Bonheur (1827-1901), incised I Bonheur, bronze, rich brown patina, on a stained wooden base, the bronze 156cm. long, 64.5cm. wide and 90.5cm. high., the footprint of the wooden base is 172cm. long and 85cm. wide, the overall height of the bronze on base 183cm. Isidore Jules Bonheur: A prominent naturalistic animal sculptor of the 19th century, Bonheur came from a family of artists. He was trained as a painter by his father, Raymond, with his sister, Rosa also continuing the family tradition. He exhibited at the Paris salon from 1847 onwards, won medals in 1865 and 1869 and, in 1889, a prestigious gold medal at the Exposition Universelle. Bonheur began his career as a painter, working with his Sister Rosa in his artist father, Raymond Bonheur's studio. However his early prowess at modelling convinced him to concentrate full-time on sculpture, aided in the foundry process by Peyrol, who married his sister Juliette. This close working relationship Between sculptor and founder resulted in the production of exceptionally well cast and highly finished bronzes often, but not always, identified by the Peyrol foundry mark. Provenance: This bronze was previously owned by James Stuart Douglas, Jr. (1867-1949) who acquired the work in 1920. The Douglas family is well-known in the history of the State of Arizona. Leaders in mining as well as banking, railroad and ranching, the family is also known for its philanthropic works in the endowments of charities, universities and hospitals throughout the world. James Stuart Douglas Jr. (1867–1949), also known as 'Rawhide Jimmy', was a Canadian-American mining and banking executive. Douglas was the son of Dr. James Douglas (1837-1918) a medical and mining pioneer, who founded the Copper Queen, one of the top copper-producing mines in the world, in Bisbee, Arizona and bestowed his name on the town of Douglas, Arizona. Born in Quebec, James Stuart Douglas, Jr., grew up in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, where his father managed the Chemical Copper Company. He left home at 17 and moved west to Manitoba, but suffering from asthma, Douglas soon moved to the Arizona Territory in hopes that the drier climate might provide relief. After a year cultivating strawberries, he moved to Bisbee at his father's request to work as an assayer for the Copper Queen Mine. Quickly he moved up the ranks becoming a supervisor for three mines, married and had two sons, as well as pursuing his banking interests. In 1912, Douglas took over the reorganization of the United Verde Extension mine in Jerome, and after four years struck pay dirt. During its lifetime (1915-1938), the UVX mine became a hugely profitable mine paying $55 million in dividends and thus, Rawhide Jimmy became a very wealthy man. With the onset of World War I, Douglas volunteered his services as a ""dollar-a-year"" man as the Director of the Red Cross Warehouse Division in France for the entire Western Front. After the war, he was decorated by the French government as a Chevalier of the Legion of Honor for his services. In 1939, Douglas retired to Canada, where he died in 1949. Today his Jerome Mansion is open to the public as the Jerome State Historic Park. His son, Lewis Williams Douglas, would be elected to the House of Representatives for state of Arizona, serve as Director of the Bureau of Budget during the FDR Administration (1933-34) and later take a post as the US Ambassador to the United Kingdom from 1947-1950. He was also the chairman and director of the Southern Arizona Bank and Trust Company from 1949 until 1966. Exhibited: Not long after its arrival in Arizona the above bronze was on display at the historic Gadsden Hotel of Douglas, Arizona. The Gadsden, which opened in 1907 and was named for the Gadsden Purchase, quickly became a hot spot for ranchers, miners and weary travellers. The Gadsden's main lobby is centred by a grand Italian marble staircase. In 1929, fire ripped through the hotel leaving nothing but the marble staircase. The hotel was immediately rebuilt but on a grander scale with no expense spared. A Tiffany & Co. stained glass mural, depicting a southwestern landscape extends 42 feet across one wall of the mezzanine. The above bronze sat in the lobby of the hotel at the base of the staircase for many years and later was exhibited in several of the banks owned by the Douglas Family. "

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Estimate
£100,000 to £150,000

Starting price
£80000