
Codie Lyons
Associate Specialist
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Sold for US$1,664 inc. premium
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Associate Specialist

Head of Department, Private & Iconic Collections, North America

Specialist, Head of Sale
Provenance
Urban Country, Venice;
Acquired from the above.
Like many of his English contemporaries, Gustave Bayol initially trained as a joiner and wood carver under his father. In 1884, after his military service, he opened a carving shop in Angers and soon noticed a gap in the fairground market; there was a distinct lack of French produced carousel pieces and French showmen appeared to import the majority of their carved elements from Germany. Bayol began to produce his own carved carousel animals, drawing inspiration from the largely agrarian nation and becoming popular for his farmyard animals such as pigs and cows.
In 1909, at this height of his success, Bayol sold the factory on to three of his workforce: Coquereau, Chailloux and Maréchal. Chailloux left the team shortly after, but Coquereau and Maréchal continued production and began to employ a greater degree of extravagance in their work. They often focused on large 'themed' carousels dedicated to one species of animal, such as a carousel of bulls supposedly commissioned from South America.
For a similar example see The Tussauds Collection of Fairground Art, Christie's, Wookey Hall, Somerset, 06 October 1997, Lot 76/77.
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