I recently found this gem at an auction. It's 24.5 inches tall U.S., weighs about 40 pounds, and is hollow. Yes, it's bronze alright. Unfortunately, I can't find this particular statue on the internet at all, although I've found many other bronzes by him.
Who's him you ask? Him was L. Gregoire from France, who lived from 1840 to 1890, a mere 50 years or so. He created a lot of beauty in that relatively short lifetime! I would date this peasant girl to the 1860s, due to the profusion of grapes, which was a very common decorative motif in that decade. She's wearing a mob cap but from what I can tell the rest of her clothing doesn't help much with dating. Even mob caps, for instance, were worn for about 2 centuries, form ca. 1700 to ca. 1900. Not much assistance there.
I'm thinking $2K U.S. for replacement. Does that seem high or low? I wish I could narrow it in better, but weeks of searching have not yielded another one.
Thanks for your help!!!
P.S. It seems you have to click on the pictures to download them? Grrrrrrrr......