Raoul François Larche La Tempête et les Nuées (The Storm and Her Clouds)

Raoul François Larche
French
1860 - 1912
La Tempête et les Nuées (The Storm and Her Clouds)

signed RAOUL LARCHE, stamped with the Siot-Decauville foundry mark and numbered 582 L

bronze on a marble base
height, including base 23 7/8 in.; 60.7cm.

Condition Report:
General surface abrasions, including a scratch on her chin. Some abrading of the lacquer at highpoints, including under her arms and on buttocks. Very minor chipping to base.

Catalogue Note:
The present work depicts the personification of a Storm as an impassioned woman. She is seen rising from the writhing clouds, staring defiantly, with her mouth open as if she is going to castigate the viewer.

When Raoul François Larche first unveiled this sculpture at the Paris Salon in 1896, it shocked audiences, who were not accustomed to seeing women portrayed with such fury. This depiction represented a departure for his own oeuvre as well, which had previously showcased the tenderness of women, as seen in his earlier piece Les Violettes.

Despite the stir it caused, the composition became a success, with the City of Paris purchasing the original cast from the Salon.

RELATED LITERATURE

Dominique Renoux, Raoul Larche, statuaire (1860 - 1912), Bulletin de la Société de l'Histoire de l'Art Français, 1990, pp. 243-76;

Pierre Kjellberg, Bronzes of the 19th Century Dictionary of Sculptors, Pennsylvania: Schiffer, ill. p. 414.

Provenance:
George F. Harding Museum, Chicago, 1939;

Bequest of George F. Harding, 1982;

Art Institute of Chicago, bequest of George F. Harding, 1982;

Deacessioned in 2014