François Antoine Roume, Man riding a workhorse, around 1935

François Antoine Roume (Marseille 1873 - Buenos Aires 1960) Nude man riding a draft horse. Circa 1935. Plaster. 34 X 36 X 13 cm. Signed on the terrace: FA Roume. This unusual sculpture depicts a nude man riding a giant draft horse. With one hand, he holds the harness, while the other rests on the back of the animal, his body turned backwards. This scene could be interpreted as a vision of agricultural work in ancient times. François Antoine Roume was a sculptor from Marseille active from the late 19th century to the mid-20th century. A student of Émile Aldebert at the École des Beaux-Arts in Marseille, he won several awards, including the Cantini Prize in 1891. After his studies, he began a career as a sculptor and gallery owner (on Boulevard de Longchamp). In the late 1910s or early 1920s, he emigrated to Argentina, where several of his children were born, including his son Carlos Roume (1923-2009), a famous Argentine author, illustrator, and painter. François Antoine Roume returned periodically to France and, likely during his visits, he created this splendid plaster group.