Polo Player on Horseback

Important Sports Bronze — Susse Frères Foundry, Paris, Lost-Wax Cast

Circa 1925–1939

Superb brown-patinated bronze representing a polo player at full gallop, captured in a particularly dynamic attitude. The rider, leaning forward on his mount, holds his mallet back in a striking movement, while the horse is depicted in a lively and powerful posture, characteristic of equestrian sports sculpture from the interwar period.

The sculpture rests on a naturalistic rectangular base, with a textured surface and a polo ball depicted in the foreground. The work bears the signature Minvielle on the base, as well as the prestigious foundry mark Susse Frères, Paris, cire perdue, together with the mention Bronze.

Dimensions

Height: 21 cm
Length: 28 cm
Base width: 10 cm

Sculptor

Roger de Minvielle
France, 1897–1987

Roger de Minvielle is known for his equestrian and sporting subjects. His work is closely connected to the world of horses, French horsemanship, and the observation of animal movement. Some specialist references describe him as an écuyer from 1930, later écuyer en chef at the Cadre Noir, which explains the precision of his eye for equine anatomy and riding attitudes.

This model of a polo player on horseback is known on the art market with very similar dimensions and is recorded as a signed bronze with the Susse Frères foundry mark, dated around 1925. Other references also mention the model Le joueur de polo, a brown-patinated bronze signed on the base, bearing the mark Susse Frères Paris cire perdue, and marked Bronze.

Foundry

Susse Frères, Paris

The house of Susse Frères holds a major place in the history of French art bronze casting. Founded in 1758, it became an art foundry and publisher in the early 19th century and is regarded as one of the most prestigious French bronze foundries.

The mark Susse Frères Paris cire perdue is an important sign of quality and authenticity. The lost-wax casting technique allows for great finesse of execution and a faithful rendering of the original model. In this bronze, it particularly enhances the horse’s musculature, the tension of movement, the details of the harness, the rider, and the base.

Rarity and Collecting Interest

This bronze is especially interesting because of its subject: polo, an aristocratic and international sport that is rarely represented in sculpture of this quality on the market for antique sporting objects.

Sports bronzes from the interwar period, and especially works related to polo, are highly sought after for their elegance, dynamism, and connection with the equestrian world. The presence of the Susse Frères foundry mark, the lost-wax casting, the beautiful old brown patina, and the signature of Minvielle all considerably reinforce the importance and desirability of this work.

This is a rare collector’s object, combining animalier sculpture, sporting sculpture, and a refined testimony to the taste of the years 1925–1939 for modern, elegant, and dynamic subjects.

Short Description for Listing

Roger de Minvielle — Polo Player on Horseback
Important brown-patinated bronze, signed on the base, cast by Susse Frères, Paris, cire perdue, marked Bronze.
Circa 1925–1939.
Dimensions: 21 × 28 × 10 cm.
Rare sporting subject representing a polo player in full action. A fine early bronze cast, dynamic and elegant, by a French equestrian sculptor associated with the world of horses and horsemanship.

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