A spelter sculpture depicting a blacksmith entitled “Le Travail” made by Émile Louis Picault (1833-1915). Made in France in the early 20th century.

Craftsmanship

Émile Louis Picault was a French sculptor active in the region between Lion and Paris. Several of his works were exhibited in the Salon de Peinture in Paris, his first work in 1863. His extensive work consists mainly of allegorical subjects, patriotic subjects, war figures or mythological heroes.
This sculpture is a nicely detailed depiction of a blacksmith dressed with his apron, standing with his left hand on his hip and rests with his right arm on his gripper.

Material

This sculpture is made of spelter, which is a zinc-lead alloy that ages to resemble bronze. This alloy is softer than bronze and has a lower melting point. The material is finished with a high quality bronze-brown and bronze-green patina and stands on a beautiful, strong green-colored marble base.

Gifted

On the reverse there is a copper plate showing that this statue was once given to the professor Raymond by his students in the year 1938-1939. “Offerings par les élèves du cours C.D.T 38-39 À Mr Raymond et ses Profrs.”