Very nice bronze group with brown patina depicting Hercules, firmly encased on his feet, dressed in a short drape, having seized Lichas and getting ready to propel him into the sea. The hero’s muscles tense as the unfortunate tries to hold on to the léonté covering the colossus' club and a cippe.
 
This magnificent bronze group, executed by Hippolyte François Moreau in 1880 is directly inspired by the marble sculpture of Antonio Canova, dating from the end of the 18th century and located in the Hall of Hercules, at the National Gallery of Modern Art at Villa Borghese in Rome.
 
But why is Hercules so angry with one of his faithful companions?:
 
Lichas, sent by Hercules to Trachis, inadvertently teaches Deanire the hero’s love for the twelve works for Iole, the daughter of King Eurytos. Then, she ordered him to give her husband the poisoned tunic of Nessos, which she knew contained a powerful potion. But as soon as he put it on, Hercules felt his body being consumed. Thinking of a perfidy of Lichas, he grabs it by the foot, makes it spin and precipitates it in the Sea Eubée.
According to Ovid, a rock forms at the place of its fall, to which its name is given.


Beautiful state of conservation, with its original patina.
 
Signed H. Moreau. Circa 1880.
 
Hippolyte François Moreau (1832-1926):
François, known as Hippolyte, was the second son of sculptor Jean-Baptiste-Louis-Joseph Moreau and trained in his father’s studio.
 
With his two brothers Mathurin and Auguste, he moved to Paris to follow the teaching of François Jouffroy at the École des beaux-arts.
 
From 1863 to 1914, he exhibited at the Salon des artistes français where he sent decorative subjects most often inspired from the 18th century. He won a medal at the World’s Fair in 1878 and another at the World’s Fair in 1900.
 
He produced mainly works of medium size and decorative or usual objects: vases, statuettes, paper cutters, bronze, regule or tin pouches.
 
He is the author of the statue of Alexis Claude Clairaut (1880) on one of the facades of the City Hall of Paris, rue de Lobau.
 
Most of his works are kept at the Museum of Fine Arts in Dijon.
 
As for all my objects and art furniture, I am very attentive to be able to propose them to you in a very low expert estimation value.
 
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