Young Bull Fighting – Guido Righetti (c. 1926)

This powerful sculpture by Guido Righetti captures a young bull mid-combat, its body coiled with tension and its lowered head locked in instinctive aggression. The composition is charged with dynamic energy, rendered with rough, expressive modelling that reveals the artist's deep sensitivity to animal movement and temperament.

The bronze patina, a rich dark brown with subtle reddish and golden undertones, enhances the sculpture’s texture and depth, accentuating the anatomy of the animal and evoking the sheen of living skin. The animal’s taut muscles, braced legs, and forward-leaning posture suggest imminent motion, giving the piece a striking sense of realism and presence.

This work is not just a standalone creation but was originally conceived as part of a larger group, Combat de jeunes taureaux (Ref. OD1, Guido Righetti, Poletti & Richarme, UDB, 2007, p. 151). The present sculpture represents the right-hand bull from that composition. The model was never edited by UDB (Univers du Bronze)—the foundry responsible for 21st-century re-editions of Righetti's work—this particular cast is an authentic early edition. It is thus a rare, historic casting, closer in spirit and material to the artist’s lifetime intent.

The bronze is mounted on a substantial black marble base, perfectly suited to frame the sculpture without distracting from its vigorous modelling.

Stylistically, Righetti’s work aligns him with the most expressive currents in early 20th-century animalier sculpture. He was a contemporary and kindred spirit of Rembrandt Bugatti, with whom he shared not only a passion for animal subjects but also a training lineage: both artists studied under the Russian-Italian master Paolo Troubetzkoy, whose spontaneous, impressionistic modelling technique left a strong imprint on their methods. Like Troubetzkoy, Righetti worked rapidly in clay or wax, allowing energy and emotion to guide form before casting in bronze.

While Righetti remains somewhat less known internationally than Bugatti, his bronzes are highly appreciated among collectors for their bold naturalism, expressive surfaces, and poetic treatment of animal life. Jeune Taureau Combattant is a fine and compelling example—an intense, tactile sculpture that testifies to both the physical force of the animal and the sculptor’s artistic intuition.