Jean-Baptiste Auguste CLESINGER (Besançon, 1814 - Paris, 1883) Nothing! Bronze with brown patina Signed and dated 'CLESINGER 1868', titled 'RIEN !!!', bears the founder's mark 'MARNYHAC 1 RUE DE LA PAIX' on the terrace Height: 7.9 cm Resting on a black stone base Total height: 10.5 cm Nothing, bronze, signed and dated, by A. Clesinger H. 3.11 in. Related works : Auguste Clésinger, Rien! 1868, bronze Marnyhac, Moulins-sur-Allier, Musée Anne de Beaujeu, inv. 88.10.1 Auguste Clésinger, Hibou et crâne, circa 1871, terracotta, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County museum of art, inv. M.73.61 Created around 1867, the model for this impressive animal group was made by the Romantic artist Auguste Clésinger as a counterpart to his famous group Hibou et crâne, also entitled Rien! which the poet Théophile Gautier, a fervent admirer of the artist, described as a "feathered Hamlet" or a memento mori. These two works convey, not without a touch of humour, the symbolism dear to the artist of the transience of existence. Jean-Baptiste Auguste CLESINGER (Besançon, 1814 - Paris, 1883) Related works : Auguste Clésinger, Rien, 1868, bronze Marnyhac, Moulins-sur-Allier, Musée Anne de Beaujeu, inv. 88.10.1 Auguste Clésinger, Hibou et crâne, circa 1871, terracotta, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County museum of art, inv. M.73.61 Created around 1867, the model for this impressive animal group was made by the Romantic artist Auguste Clésinger as a counterpart to his famous group Hibou et crâne, also entitled Rien! which the poet Théophile Gautier, a fervent admirer of the artist, described as a "feathered Hamlet" or a memento mori. These two works convey, not without a touch of humour, the symbolism dear to the artist of the transience of existence.