Bronze Craftsman Working

This bronze inkstand features a detailed figure of a man seated on the ground, deeply focused on his work. He is dressed in work clothes, including a long-sleeved shirt and pants. Beside him, a hat rests on a rock and is the hinged cover for the inkwell beneath. The man is working on a shoe, suggesting he is likely a cobbler, a craftsman who repairs shoes. The tools and the shoe in his hands support this interpretation. Ironically the cobbler here is barefooted.

The inkstand is signed “J. Garnier.” Jean Garnier was a 19th-century French sculptor best known for his bronze figures and decorative vessels. Throughout his work, he often depicted allegorical and historical subjects like Pierrot clowns, Joan of Arc, and Salamon, in addition to vernacular figures such as musicians, dancers, or farmers. In several instances, Garnier created vases or pitchers that merged with figural forms, where one or more characters appear to be emerging from the surface of the vessel. Born in 1853 in Mouzeuil, France, Garnier would go on to exhibit at the Salon des Artiste Francaise, winning an honorable mention in 1892. The artist died in 1910 in Paris, France.