Young Boy on a Rocking Horse
Sculpture, free-standing figurative work • Manner of Auguste Moreau or similar French Academic/Belle Époque sculptor
Style & Movement
Academic Realism / Belle Époque Genre Sculpture
Medium & Technique
Cast bronze or spelter with a dark brown chemical patina; lost-wax or sand casting technique
Creation Period
Late 19th to early 20th Century (circa 1890-1920)
Dimensions & Format
Approximately 24-30 inches in height; vertical orientation
Subject Description
A sentimental depiction of childhood innocence featuring a young boy seated atop a rocking horse, looking upward with a joyful or wistful expression. The boy wears period-appropriate clothing, and the rocking horse features traditional grip handles.
Condition & Value Assessment
Condition Assessment
Good/Fair; stable but shows signs of age-related surface wear
Estimated Market Value
$800 - $1,500 USD
Auction Estimate
$500 - $900 USD
Provenance History
Likely a decorative indoor residential piece; no visible stamps or foundry marks in the image, but common for European middle-class estates of the early 20th century
Art Historical Significance
Representational of the late 19th-century taste for idealized bronze genre scenes focusing on domesticity and children, popularized by the Moreau family of sculptors.
Notable Features
The expressive upward gaze of the child provides a narrative quality typical of Romanticized realism; detailed textures on the horse's mane and the boy's hair.
Condition Issues
Visible surface abrasions, minor loss of patina on high-relief areas (shoulders, nose of horse), and possible accumulation of dust and oxidation in the crevices.
Conservation Recommendations
Professional cleaning to remove surface grime and application of microcrystalline wax (e.g., Renaissance Wax) to protect the metal from further oxidation.