Emile Thomas - Statue, Papa Pio IX - 34 cm - Bronze - 1842

Bronze, natural patina. 34.5 x 21 x 15 cm

The French sculptor, a pupil of James Pradier, Emile Thomas was active in Rome toward the end of the 19th century, where he produced a few small bronze castings depicting historical figures.

The bronze statuette presented here is celebratory in tonality and depicts Pope Pius IX at the moment he ascended to the papal throne, in 1846.

A small desktop monument, the piece shows the pope seated beside a kneeler: a classical-looking depiction, but with a touch of realism.

Emile Thomas was a sculptor of monumental works located in various French churches. He also produced a series of bronze statuettes for libraries depicting historical, commemorative, or religious themes, as in our case.