A FRENCH PATINATED BRONZE OF A GLADIATOR ABOUT TO HURL HIS NET (RETIARIUS)

Edmé Anthony Paul Noël (1845-1909) was a student of Lequesne, Guillaume and Cavalier. He work concentrated on classical and mythological themes; he won the Prix de Rome in 1868 for his Thésée vainquer du Minotaure. He made his debut at the Salon in 1872, winning medals in 1872, 1874, and 1878. Noël was later awarded Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur in 1878, and first prize at the Exposition Universelle in 1889.