STEPHAN SINDING (Trondheim, Norway, 1846 - Paris, 1922).
"Valkyrie", Paris, 1908.
Bronze.
Exhibitions: "European sculpture of the 20th century", European Museum of Modern Art (MEAM), Barcelona, 2014.
Signed, dated and located.
Measurements: 83 x 87 x 32 cm.
Ornamental bronze sculpture representing a Valkyrie on horseback. Valkyries, from Norse mythology, are one of the best-known images of warrior women, and are a symbol of the union of beauty and fierceness. In modern art, Valkyries are depicted as beautiful maidens on winged horses, covered with helmets and armed with spears. However, some translations of the Norse "eddas" (compilations of myths) suggest that their mounts are actually terrible wolves. There is some agreement that the Valkyries fly over the battlefields, searching for the bodies of chosen warriors.
Stephan Sinding was a long-time pupil of Albert Wolff in Berlin. He later lived in Paris, Rome, Oslo and Copenhagen. His style was greatly influenced by the naturalistic tendency of the Paris school, which is reflected in his works. "Mother Prisoner" won Sinding the medal of honour at the Paris Exhibition of 1899. His other works include a marble statue in Hylas (in the Royal Palace in Oslo) and The Night (a sleeping couple).