19th Century French Bronze Figure of a Boatman

19th Century French antique bronze figure of a boatman. Beautifully modeled and of large scale the bronze has a lovely patinated surface. The boatman carries a pair of oars and a life ring and it bears the mark "Bronze garanti au titre L.V. Deposee". The term "L.V. Deposee Guaranteed Bronze" can be seen on many bronze objects, sculptures and other works of art, and is often associated with a certain quality or authenticity. L.V. means "Victorian Bond", which was a casting technique developed by Victorien Lefebvre and used to produce high quality bronze objects. It was introduced in 1853 by French patent law and appeared on many bronzes produced in France from that time on.