Metal statue of classically dressed man and woman signed Rancoulet.
Somewhere in the middle of the 60 years that our family spent in this house, this 21 inch high metal statue appeared on a small table in the living room. There it remained until now when the house is sold and it must be determined if it should be tossed or not. It never appealed to anyone in the family. My mother took an interest in it. A friend of hers who had experience in such art told her that it wasn't bronze (It does pass the magnet test; no attraction). Just in the past month I examined it closely enough to see the signature worked into the metal, "Rancoulet." I quickly found out the he was a "someone," a prodigious artist who turned out many sculptures in his short life. Most seem to sell for three figures, with a decent number making it to four figures. I don't know how it came to make it into our house. A good guess would be through my Italian grandfather who worked as a Prudential collector of life insurance premiums in LIttle Italy in Manhattan in the 20's. They moved out from Queens to be near our family in Nassau, which is east of Queens. The statue is attached to a round one inch wooden base, from which the dark brown coating is peeling off. The statue itself appears to have no significant damage, but is full of dust and needs a cleaning. There was a metal label on the front of the base, which I may have lost, which read [Rancoulet L' Union]. I found no reference to this title on the Internet. The s
Unknown
Inherited
Yes
Dear William,
Thank you for your help and patience.
The presented object appears to be a patinated white-metal alloy or zinc statue with measurements of 21 inches in height. This statue depicts a woman holding a fasces and an additional person. The woman could be identified with Marianne, the personification of France. This statue was made after the design by the French artist Ernest RANCOULET (1842-1918). Zinc cast statues were cheaper in the material costs during the production than bronze statues and often made in the late 19th century.
Works by this artist were recently offered and sold on the international auction market.
This piece is in medium condition and there is no serious damage visible in the images provided.
A fair market estimation would be between 200 to 400 USD.
This estimate is based on actual recent past recorded auction sales of comparable items. Retail "asking prices" can be higher and may vary.
With kind regards,
Georg
Thank you. When in a case such as this the patina which gives the statue its bronze color has peeled off of an area, is this considered permanent damage to the statue or could the patina just be re-applied?
Dear William,
this is an damage which is typical for this white metal alloy or zinc statues because the patina is not durable fixed on the metal surface. A restoration would be in no comparison to the value of the statue.
With kind regards,
Georg
When I strike the statue with a rubber mallet, I get no reaction except for the dull thud of the rubber striking metal. The statue weighs 17 pounds.
I should have picked up on this the first time as it seems very important. Where the arms of the figures are joined, down near the hands, the thin substance which provides the bronze color has peeled off, exposing a dull, greyish, metallic surface. I have read of patina, where a coating naturally grows on top of the metal, but I do not think this is a patina coating.
Actually I have no way of telling since I'm ignorant on these matters, but my natural pessimism tells me that this is not a good sign.