René LETOURNEUR (1898-1990) - Lot 7

René LETOURNEUR (1898-1990) Léda 1927 White terracotta relief, no. 2/8 Atelier edition, 2000s Signature and copyright (lower right): © LETOURNEUR With base: 107 x 50.5 x 29.5 cm During his stay at the Villa Medici in Rome, René Letourneur created a large direct-cut relief of Leda and the Swan in pink Milan marble. He then decided to keep only the torso of Leda, reusing the other pieces of marble for new creations. In 1934, the Leda torso was installed above the fireplace in his Fontenay-aux-Roses home. The torso was cast for the edition presented here. As for the memory of the original large relief composition, it is preserved thanks to an old photograph of the Roman workshop. Bibliography : 2009 EXHIBITION, p.189, p. 192 and p. 216 (repr. marble).