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inscribed with the monogram, numbered 3/5 and stamped with the foundry mark C.Valsuani, Cire perdue, brown patina bronze Sotheby's, New York, Amphion and Zethos were twin sons of Zeus and Antiope. In antiquity they served as the typical representation of two opposite life styles. The theoretical (contemplative) and the practical life. As Lords of Thebes, the brothers helped to build a wall. While Zethos worked with his hands, Amphion with the sound of his lyre caused the stones to adhere to the wall. In Amphion and the «Large Musician» a central theme of Cubism, the human being whose body is transformed into a musical instrument, is restored to its mythological origins. Amphion is a soft sexless being that seems to sing its own introversion. The grooves of its body, an allusion to the strings of the lyre, recall the corrugated paper on the Cubist collages and constructions, which Laurens often produced. This monumental work carried a pre-sale estimate of US $ 400,000-600,000. The previous day Sotheby's sold Laurens' "Femme à la Grappe", a 22 inches bronze sculpture with the foundry mark C. Valsuani numbered 2/8 and executed in 1952 for US $ 211,500 (Inclusive of buyer premium) against a US $ 100,000 to 150,000. Sotheby's also sold Laurens' Large Table Caryatid a 62 inch long bronze with the foundry mark C. Valsuani numbered 6/6 and executed in 1938 for US $ 310,500 against a pre-sale estimate of US $ 200,000 to 300,000. |
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