Joël and Jan Martel (1896-1966) - Lot 213

Joël and Jan Martel (1896-1966) Flat-tailed pigeon 1925 Rosewood sculpture H. 23 cm, on a blackened wood base Related literature: Emmanuel Bréon, et alii, Joël et Jan Martel, sculpteurs (1896-1966), Paris, Livres d'art, Gallimard, 1996, work listed under no. 49, p. 78 and illustrated under no. 123, p. 130. Following in the footsteps of nineteenth-century animal sculptors, the Martel brothers set out to faithfully represent the anatomy of animals, while simplifying their forms and focusing on smooth volumes. Their goal was simplicity, and they emphasized only the main geometric shapes and volumes. Our Flat-tailed Pigeon, carved in rosewood in 1925, is representative of this formal research. Another version in wood is in the Musée Municipal de Cambrai, and another in marble is in a private collection.