Pierre-Louis Détrier (1822-1897) « The boules Game », France Circa 1870

Signed Détrier

Charming, intimate group in patinated bronze with golden highlights, depicting a genre scene that is fully in keeping with the 19th-century historicist style, which sought to recreate the elegance of the 18th century with nostalgia and precision. Two gentlemen dressed in mid-18th-century fashion, engaged in a game of boules, are seated around a game table, perfect example of miniaturized cabinetmaking, with its curved legs adorned with acanthus scrolls and asymmetrical shells typical of Rocaille art. The table’s apron is adorned with a frieze of godrons.

This bronze sculpture is a precious testament to the 19th-century fascination with the Siècle des Lumières, capturing the spirit of conversation, leisure, and elegance of that bygone era.

Biography :
Pierre-Louis Détrier (1822–1897) was a bronze sculptor born in Vougécourt in Haute-Saône. A student of Guérard, he made his debut at the Salon in 1866 and received an honorable mention in 1885 for a marble group depicting La jeune mère (No. 3616). The Bulletin of the Historical and Archaeological Society of Langres wrote in 1890 that he “had made a name for himself among French sculptors” and highlighted his most notable works at the Salons des Champs-Élysées, including the aforementioned La jeune mère (1885), Le Nid (1889), and Grande Sœur (1890). He continued to exhibit there until 1896.