Oedipus and the Sphinx

Signed Sicard and inscribed with foundry mark F.Barbedienne Fondeur

Bronze with rich mid and dark brown patina

Height: 27.5 ” (70 cm )

ABOUT THE ARTWORK

François Léon Sicard (1862-1934) was a renowned French artist and sculptor. He studied under Louis-Ernest Barrias (1841-1905), winner of the 1865 Prix de Rome. After winning the Prix de Rome himself in 1891 his reputation and popularity soared. He exhibited regularly at the Salon, receiving an honourable mention in 1887, a second-class medal in 1894, and a first-class medal in 1897. The Société des Artistes Francaise inaugurated his membership in 1900, the same year he won the coveted gold medal at the Exposition Universelle.

His success led to him being commissioned to complete several sculptures for public spaces in France. Renowned for his realistic portrait work, the state commissioned several commemorative monuments. His delicate and romantic carved marble figure of George Sand, which resides in the Jardin de Luxembourg, in Paris , won Sicard a medal of honour at the Salon of 1905. The acclaim he received for the tribute to George Sand led to numerous additional commissions, including the monument to Sarah Bernhardt, unveiled at the Malesherbes Plaza on June 12th 1926.

François-Leon Sicard, Statue of George Sand, circa 1904, marble, the Jardin de Luxembourg, Paris

Franćois-Leon Sicard, Monument à Sarah Bernhardt, 1926, place du Général-Catroux, Paris

The present work Oedipus and the Sphinx (Oedipe et le sphinx) is a notable piece in Sicard’s body of work. The sculpture was exhibited in gilded bronze at the Salon of 1903. At the time the Musée de Luxembourg purchased the piece, and it is now part of the collection of the Musée d’Orsay. Another version was exhibited at the Franco-British Exhibition of 1908 in London.

This depiction of the Greek myth was created before 1903. The naked figure of Oedipus stands heroically over the Sphinx, seizing her at the throat with his foot, his right hand is raised as if in recognition of his victory. In the Greek myth, Oedipus meets the Sphinx at the crossroads on his journey between Thebes and Delphi. Oedipus must answer the Sphinx’s riddle correctly to pass. Failure means his death and that of the besieged Thebans. The riddle was: “What walks on four feet in the morning, two in the afternoon and three at night?”. Oedipus answered: “Man: as an infant, he crawls on all fours; as an adult, he walks on two legs and in old age, he uses a walking stick”. Oedipus was the first to answer the riddle correctly and thus was allowed to pass.

The myth has been a favoured theme for artists, with two famous painted interpretations one by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres (1780-1867) and the other by Gustave Moreau (1826-1898). Since 1878 the Ingres painting had been in the collection of the Louvre, making it quite possible to have been seen by Sicard. The difference in the portrayal of the myth is clear. Sicard’s Oedipus is victorious and proud, as opposed to the pensive or distressed portrayals in the paintings and the Sphinx is much larger in Sicard’s sculpture, making it a much more intimidating opponent to overcome.

Jean-Auguste-Dominque Ingres, Oedipus and the Sphinx, 1808–27, oil on canvas, 189 x 144, Louvre

Jean-Auguste-Dominque Ingres, Oedipus and the Sphinx, 1808–27, oil on canvas, 189 x 144, Louvre