Item Description
Original Item. Only One Available. This is a tremendous and prestigious bronze sculpture of an Imperial German Uhlan soldier of the 5th (Westphalian) Uhlans on horseback. The sculpture is incredibly detailed and signed on the base to Léon Mignon, a well-known Belgian sculptor working in a realist idiom, known for his depiction of bulls. Mignon passed away in 1898, so we are confident in dating this sculpture to the mid-1880s or 1890s, well before World War I, although the Uhlan soldier certainly has a World War I look to him.
The sculpture measures roughly 9 x 22 x 27½”, but the top half of the cavalry lance and the bottom of his sheathed sword have broken off of the sculpture. With these two pieces removed, the statue is only roughly 25” tall. They can still be placed where they were for display, and to make shipping simpler, we will be packing the two pieces on their own, to be replaced by the buyer once it has arrived safely. The statue weighs a great deal, and will certainly become the centerpiece of any German or WWI collection.
The soldier is wearing an Uhlan helmet with a cockade at the top, the helmet sporting a Prussian Wappen front plate and a cord going from the top of the mortarboard to his uniform. He wear his Uhlan jacket or Ulanka, with a myriad of various field gear and equipment on his person, including his Karabiner carbine in its holster, with his cavalry saber sheathed to his left. His cavalry lance has a swallow-tail flag on one end, with the other sitting in its slot on his stirrup.
The 5th (Westphalian) Uhlans was formed in 1815 in response to Napoleon’s escape from Elba and first fought at the Battle of Ligny (16 June 1815), and from 1822 formed part of the Dusseldorf garrison on the Rhine. It subsequently served during the German War of 1866, the Franco-Prussian War of 1870/71, the Boxer Rebellion (1900) and the First World War in the invasion of Belgium.
More information on the sculptor, Mignon, can be found here.
This is a truly phenomenal sculpture that will become the centerpiece of any German Uhlan or WWI Collection. As mentioned, the top half of the cavalry lance and the bottom of his sheathed sword have broken off, and they will be included to be placed back on when the sculpture is received. This is the first we have ever had, and may be the last. Don’t miss it!
- This product is available for international shipping.
- Eligible for all payments - Visa, Mastercard, Discover, AMEX, Paypal & Sezzle
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