Rembrandt BUGATTI (Milan, 1884 - Paris, 1916). Lioness devouring. Bronze with a polychrome patina shaded with browns and greens (a lack of patina) signed on the terrace "RBUGATTI", bearing the founder's stamp "Cire perdue A.A. HÉBRARD" and the issue number (A-1). Bronze copy of the original edition A.A.HÉBRARD (c.1904-1934). Height : 17 cm. 17 cm - Length : 71 cm - Depth : 22 cm Weight of the bronze : 10,7 kg A certificate from Mrs Véronique Fromanger dated April 14, 2021 will be given to the buyer. Provenance : - Acquired by M. FRIROT from Hébrard (n°INV. 4471) ; - Acquired from M. FRIROT by the former owners of the castle of Mesnil-Glaise; - Acquired by the family of the current owners with the castle furniture in 1972; - By descent. Bibliography: - Véronique FROMANGER, Rembrandt Bugatti, une trajectoire foudroyante, Répertoire monographique, Paris, Les Éditions de l'Amateur, 2016, pp. 272 and 273, n°40. - Cahier Hébrard, pp. 96 and 124: " M. Frirot (A-1) n°INV. 4471 ». The model of the Lioness Devouring was chosen by the Städel Museum in Frankfurt in 2020 to be included in the exhibition "En passant, l'impressionisme en sculpture". Bugatti was the only animal sculptor to participate in this memorable exhibition, along with Degas, Rodin and Rosso. Rembrandt Bugatti was 20 years old when he created the model of the Lioness Devouring. With his free-hand modelling, which he did directly in front of the fawn, Bugatti proved that the most vigorous daring of colours could be achieved with a few strokes of the hand. As Medardo Rosso might have said of him, "the secret of the vital palpitation is there". The original bronze edition of the Lioness Devouring was produced in several copies by Adrien Aurélien Hébrard, Bugatti's exclusive publisher and founder. The numbered bronze copy (A-1) will be auctioned for the first time. Véronique Fromanger