JOSUË DUPON (Ichtegem, Belgium, 1864 - Antwerp, 1935). "Rider on a horse", 1911. Bronze. Signed

JOSUË DUPON (Ichtegem, Belgium, 1864 - Antwerp, 1935).
"Rider on a horse", 1911.
Bronze.
Signed and dated.
Exhibitions: "European sculpture in the 20th century", European Museum of Modern Art (MEAM), Barcelona, 2014.
Size: 53 x 57 x 17 cm.
Bronze sculpture in which the rider (free of his attire) and the horse's saddle have been worked with a verist intention, seeking the right textures and qualities. The equine body, slender and elegant, is rendered with anatomical precision, while every detail of the harness and saddle is described with virtuoso workmanship.
Josuë Dupon, a sculptor specialising in the creation of realistic animals and a medal engraver, trained with the sculptors Clemens Carbon and Modest Verlinden. At the same time, he studied at the Municipal Academy of Roeselare. In 1884 he went to Antwerp, where he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts and from 1886/87 at the Institute of Higher Art with the sculptor Thomas Vinçotte. In 1888 Josuë became a member of the Roeselaar Art Circle. He also became a member of "De Scalden", a group of young Antwerp painters, sculptors and master builders, who would form the basis of "L'art appliquée". In 1891, Joshua was awarded the gold medal at the Antwerp Art Salon for his work "Samson tearing the lion to pieces", as well as the second prize in Rome. From 1905 to 1934, he taught sculpture at the Antwerp Academy. He was a member of the executive committee of the Antwerp Museum of Fine Arts. In 1929 an equestrian statue of the missionary Constant Lievens by Dupon was presented. In 1936 he was posthumously awarded a bronze medal in the artistic competitions of the Olympic Games for his "Equestrian Medals".