Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 13

"Down for the Count, " Extraordinary, Rare Bronze w/ Nude Male Boxers by Howard

About the Item

One of the most celebrated figural sculptures of the 20th century, and one of the finest depictions of the male figure from the 1920s and 30s, this extremely rare bronze by Cecil de Blaquiere Howard depicts two boxers, one triumphant and one defeated, in the heat of the match. Each of the two nudes is beautifully captured in a scene that is compact and complex, with the standing figure stepping over and around the fallen figure below. The sculpture is depicting a dramatic moment in the boxing ring, but it is also presenting two male figures at their peak of physical perfection. Howard was born in Canada, brought up in America, and trained under sculptors such as James Fraser, but spent much of his creative life in France. He exhibited in the famous Armory Show of 1913 in New York City, which introduced modern art to America. Over the length of his career, he focused on the nude, both female and male. His male figures are often shown in the midst of athletic endeavor, but this large and dramatic sculpture is among his rarest. This sculpture is probably the same example sold at Sotheby's in 1996. It is not signed, but shows the Valsuani foundry mark.
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 23.75 in (60.33 cm)Width: 17.5 in (44.45 cm)Depth: 14.5 in (36.83 cm)
  • Style:
    Art Deco (Of the Period)
  • Materials and Techniques:
    Bronze,Cast
  • Place of Origin:
  • Period:
  • Date of Manufacture:
    1935
  • Condition:
    Wear consistent with age and use.
  • Seller Location:
    Philadelphia, PA
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU865127457792
More From This SellerView All
  • "Standing Male Nude, " Extraordinary Drawing for Boxer Sculptures by Cecil Howard
    Located in Philadelphia, PA
    Exquisitely drawn in pencil and a feather, light ink wash, creating a pale, ghostly image that is refined and haunting, this full length male nude was accomplished by Cecil de Blaquiere Howard...
    Category

    Vintage 1930s French Art Deco Drawings

    Materials

    Paper

  • "The Mourning of Orpheus, " Rare Gilded Bronze by Strindberg w/ Nude Male & Lyre
    By Tore Strindberg
    Located in Philadelphia, PA
    Beautifully sculpted by Tore Strindberg, one of Sweden's leading sculptors in the early 20th century, and sensitively cast and gilded by the Otto Meyers fou...
    Category

    Vintage 1920s Swedish Art Deco Figurative Sculptures

    Materials

    Bronze

  • "Male Athlete with Kettlebell", Rare Bronze Sculpture with Male Nude by Seifert
    By Franz Seifert
    Located in Philadelphia, PA
    This highly rare bronze of a nude male athlete preparing to left a heavy kettlebell weight was sculpted by an Austrian artist, Franz Seifert, in 1922. Although Seifert is known for his nude figures straining to accomplish physical tasks -- such as carrying a large bucket or splitting a stone -- this sculpture is the only example known to exist. A decade after this sculpture was cast, Seifert carved a marble portrait of Siegfried Marcus, inventor of the gasoline-powered car, for a monument in Vienna, which includes a nude male figure in bas relief racing forward on the upper edge of an automobile wheel. He also created a large sculpture grouping honoring Empress Elizabeth...
    Category

    Vintage 1920s Austrian Art Deco Figurative Sculptures

    Materials

    Bronze

  • "Hauling the Net, " Rare Art Deco Bronze with Nude Male Fisherman
    By Alexandre Ouline
    Located in Philadelphia, PA
    This powerful bronze -- depicting a nude fisherman hauling in his net -- is a superb example of Art Deco sculpture influenced by Auguste Rodin's emphasis on the emotion and physicali...
    Category

    Vintage 1930s French Art Deco Figurative Sculptures

    Materials

    Bronze

  • "Nude Triton", Larger, Rare Bronze of Nude Male Triton by Netzer, 1920s
    By Hubert Netzer
    Located in Philadelphia, PA
    At once strong and sensuous, this large bronze of a fully nude triton figure, his right arm raised high with his trident, ready to strike, was sculpted in the 1920s by Hubert Netzer....
    Category

    Vintage 1920s German Art Deco Figurative Sculptures

    Materials

    Bronze

  • "Male Nude, Side View, " Ghostly Drawing for Boxer Sculptures by Cecil Howard
    Located in Philadelphia, PA
    Exquisitely drawn in pencil and a feather light ink wash, creating a pale, ghostly image that is refined and haunting, this full length view of a male nude from the side was accomplished by Cecil de...
    Category

    Vintage 1930s French Art Deco Drawings

    Materials

    Paper

You May Also Like
  • Nude Male Bronze Sculpture Fountain
    Located in Malibu, CA
    Bronze male sculpture signed. Fonderia Giorgio Sommer Calabritto Napoli Thomas, sculptor, lived and worked in the Naples area, and especially on Capri, from 1889 to 1906. Given this ...
    Category

    20th Century Italian Renaissance Figurative Sculptures

    Materials

    Carrara Marble, Bronze

  • Bronze Sculpture "Female & Male nude" by Hubert Yencesse
    By Hubert Yencesse
    Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
    "Female Nude" Bronze sculpture with brown- green patina. Old edition Fonte performed by Alexis Rudier. Signed Hubert Yencesse. Foundry’s mark Alexis R...
    Category

    20th Century French Busts

    Materials

    Bronze

  • "Zusammenbruch" ( Breakdown ), Male Nude Bronze by Gerhard Schliepstein
    By Gerhard Schliepstein
    Located in Berlin, DE
    Male nude, circa 1925. Bronze, dark patinated. Early original cast by Noah, Berlin. Signed on the base: G. Schliepstein. Measurements: Height: 12.99 in ( 33 cm ), Width: 15.75 in ( 4...
    Category

    Early 20th Century German Figurative Sculptures

    Materials

    Bronze

  • Bronze and Plaster Nude Male Sculpture
    Located in Pasadena, CA
    Striking male nude sculpture executed in bronze with plaster. Unsigned. On pedestal.
    Category

    1990s American Busts

    Materials

    Bronze

  • Gary Weisman Nude Male Torso Bronze Sculpture
    By Gary Weisman
    Located in Philadelphia, PA
    A fine bronze sculpture by Gary Weisman of a male nude torso. With a mixed chocolate brown and verdigris patina. Gary Weisman is an important living American sculptor active in Phi...
    Category

    Late 20th Century American Modern Figurative Sculptures

    Materials

    Bronze

  • Bronze Male Nude "Vouloir" De Jean Rabiant
    Located in Port Jervis, NY
    Fabulous bronze sculpture of a male nude in motion by noted French Artist/Sculpter Jean Rabiant. In excellent condition with a green patina.
    Category

    Vintage 1960s French Modern Figurative Sculptures

    Materials

    Bronze

Recently Viewed

View All