Object Description
Full-size marble figure by Belgian sculptor Louis Samain
Belgian, 1872
Figure: Height 147cm, width 55cm, depth 38cm
Pedestal: Height 76cm, diameter 46cm
Total: Height 223cm
This large life-size sculpture depicts a young and idealised hunter. The figure stands in classical contrapposto, with his legs crossed and hips slightly askance. The figure wears traditional hunting garb, which has been carved from the marble with spectacular dexterity and precision. The artist, Louis Samain, has rendered cold marble life-like: the subtle folds of the trousers, or tussles of the socks, or falling locks of hair, all seem to be captured from reality. The sculpture is supported on a large grey-marble podium.
The work is signed ‘L. Samain 1872’. Louis Samain was an important Belgian sculptor who achieved significant success in France, winning a gold medal at the 1889 Universelle Exposition in Paris.