Charging on horseback: a bronze figure, cast by Valsuani, after the model by Prince Paolo Troubetzkoy (1866-1938), 1932

The present lot epitomises the energy and excitement of Troubetzkoy’s production over his years in America.  Having been invited to exhibit in New York, Troubetzkoy left Europe in 1914 but delayed his return for six years.  He travelled the continent widely and met great success, with further exhibitions in Philadelphia and Detroit and a well-visited studio in Hollywood from 1919.  On these journeys he was doubtless confronted with living examples of the theme that had won him renown in Milan in 1893: The Indian Scout. His subsequent series of horse and rider figures from the American West, of which Charging on Horseback is a prominent example, capitalised on his ability to encapsulate the close relationship between man and animal while precisely revealing the characters of both.