Art Deco Designed by: Max Le Verrier Made: France circa 1931 Titled: "Spartiate" or "Archer" Spelter with bronze bow on stone base H=30.5" W=22.5 D=6.5" Accession # 3-2022-5020.00
Max Le Verrier Bronze “Spartiate” (Archer)
Louis Octave Maxime Le Terrier, aka Max Le Verrier, Born in France -1891. Le Verrier was known for being a pioneer in the Parisian Art Deco movement. In 1925, he showed his work at the famous Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs et Industries Modernes in Paris, where he won a gold medal. His work can be found in museum collections around the world including at the Musee d’Orsay in France and the Tulsa Art Deco Museum in Tulsa Oklahoma.
This sculpture, though it looks like bronze, is actually a metal called “Spelter” (the exception being the Bronze bow) which has a patina added onto it, to create the look of a bronze sculpture. The “Spartiate” or Archer sculpture was cast in the 1930’s by Max Le Verrier, in multiple sizes, in both Bronze and Spelter. Though spelter is often considered less valuable than bronze, there are exceptions. Often the spelter version was able to more accurately capture the detail of the original piece. And this particular version of Le Verrier’s Archer is the largest version his studio cast with very few of this size having been made.
NOTE: Thought the artist of this piece is known for his Art Deco style pieces, the style of this figure is not strictly Art Deco. The base is of course, with its simple, bold geometry. However, there are Art Deco “hints” in the figural part of the sculpture. Here the artist has carefully placed the naturalistic figure into a sort of “geometric”, Art Deco pose. Notice how the arms are perfectly parallel to the top of the base and ground, and how the cloth also mimics this. See how the one leg juts out almost exactly perpendicular to the line of the other leg and body, even the hair flowing back in lines along with the cloth giving a look of horizontal movement and angularity. The angle of the forehead, nose and front part of the body align. The tip of the elbow, cloth and toes all align at almost exactly the same angle on the other side. This pose was carefully and intentionally staged. The pose, along with the base, together evoke a kind of “look and feel” that was fresh, new and Modern for its time.
Below is an original charcoal sketch from our collection by Max Le Verrier for the Archer statue. Though there are many copies of the statue, as far as we know this is the only sketch of it by the artist. The sketch was done to the approximate scale of the statue we have in our possession which was the largest size produced by Verrier. Off to the left side, there are pencil sketches and measurements that appear to be notes for the base of the statue.
Framed Spartiate sketch by Max Le Verrier TADM Accession # 2022-1133.63
Below: Max Le Verrier working in his studio on perhaps his most famous statue entitled “Clarte’”. The statue (also called “Lueur Lumineuse”) was designed in 1928.
Below: More examples of Max Le Verrier’s work.
