Male Athlete Sculpture Appraisal

Art Deco Bronze Male Athlete Sculpture by Marcel Bouraine (under pseudonym Briand)

This item is a small-scale Art Deco bronze sculpture depicting a nude male athlete in a dynamic, crouched or lunging pose. The figure is cast in bronze with a dark, nearly black patina that exhibits a slight semi-gloss sheen on its high points, emphasizing the stylized musculature characteristic of the 1920s-1930s aesthetic. The sculpture is fixed to an integrated rectangular bronze base. A critical marking is visible on the edge of the base, appearing to read 'BRIAND', which was a known pseudonym used by the French sculptor Marcel-André Bouraine. The craftsmanship reflects the Machine Age influence with streamlined anatomical forms and a Sense of captured motion. The physical condition appears generally good, though there is visible surface dust and light surface wear consistent with age. Significant patina remains intact, though there may be minor pitting or surface oxidation common in vintage metalwork. The underside of the base shows the raw golden-yellow hue of the bronze alloy, indicating a higher copper content. This piece represents the neoclassical revival intertwined with Art Deco modernism common in early 20th-century European decorative arts.