Augustin BOCCIARDI (1729 - 1797)
Terra cotta model of a King Charles Spaniel rider resting on a fully molded base, signed on the side of the terrace a. Bocciardi . Fecit, and on a rectangular base in turquoise-blue marble and gilded bronze.
France, circa 1760 - 1780
27.4 x 22.5 cm
With base 31 x 29.5 cm
Provenance: French private collection for several generations.
A native of Genoa, Augustin Bocciardi (1729 - 1797) was active in Paris from the 1750s. He was accepted as a member of the Académie de Saint-Luc in 1760, and took part in the exhibitions of 1762 and 1764. From 1766, he was attached by Louis Marie Augustin, Duc d'Aumont (1709 - 1782) to the King's Menus-Plaisirs and executed stucco decorations and figures, a technique little known in France at the time, but which lent itself very well to festive decorations. He therefore worked on sets for major royal events, notably the Versailles Opera for Marie-Antoinette's wedding, and collaborated on the catafalques erected for court mourners.
The sculptors of the King's Menus-Plaisirs were responsible for the material production of the monarchic spectacle decor in both ordinary and extraordinary times of court life, from the rising of the sovereign to his coronation or funeral, via seasonal festivities and entertainments (Gruber, op. cit.).
In 1770, Bocciardi contributed to the sculptural ornamentation of the jewelry chest for the new Dauphine, Marie-Antoinette. In 1775, he participated in the decorations for the coronation of Louis XVI in Reims.
In 1777, he supplied the fireplace for the Bagatelle pavilion designed by the Comte d'Artois, and in the summer of 1780, he made the marble bases for the vases set in the four corners of the château, and the plinths for the sculptures in its niches. He also created the statues for the catafalque of Empress Maria Theresa of Austria, erected at Notre-Dame de Paris on May 31, 1781. His activity at the Menus-Plaisirs was quite diversified: he was a sculptor-marble-maker, ornamentalist and figurist, but also a lapidary, as evidenced by his collaboration with the chaser and gilder Pierre Gouthière (1732-1813) on vases in porphyry, granite, marble and alabaster in public collections such as the Frick Collection, the Metropolitan Museum and private collections.
While working for the king at the Menus-Plaisirs de Versailles, he developed a private clientele: in 1776, he sculpted several works for the Château de Pontchartrain, including two marble fireplaces for the salon. In 1779, he worked on the decor for the Hôtel de Villeroy, and around 1782, he took part in the decor for the Hôtel de Sénectere, rue de l'Université; he made fireplaces for the Hôtel de Thellusson, and decorative objects for the Duchesse de Mazarin and her Hôtel quai Malaquais, around 1780... He is also the author of the bronze bust of the learned physician Jean Astruc (1684-1766) in the Musée de l'Histoire de la Médecine (EMP 509), which also proves that Bocciardi was a talented portraitist (1768).
The fact that Bocciardi often worked on ephemeral works may partly explain why very few of his sculptures are known and documented today. It's likely that our terracotta King Charles was commissioned directly by a member of the royal family or court. We all remember La Pompadour's favorite dog 'mimi', who was depicted in numerous paintings. The terracotta presented here is a rare testimony to the artist's work, and adds a new element to his production and activity as a sculptor for the Menus-Plaisirs.
Comparative bibliographies :
S. Lami, Dictionnaire des Sculpteurs de l'Ecole Française au Dix-huitième Siècle, Paris, 1910, pp. 71-72.
A-C. Gruber, Les Grandes Fêtes et leurs décors à l'époque de Louis XVI, Geneva, 1972, p. 16.
A-M. Coutenceaux, Augustin Bocciardi (1719 - 1797), 2007- 8.
Paris, New York, Los Angeles, Musée du Louvre, Metropolitan Museum of Art, J. Paul Getty Museum, French Bronzes from the Renaissance to the Age of Enlightenment, Oct. 22, 2008-Jan. 18, 2009, Feb. 23-May 24, 2009, June 30-Sept. 27, 2009, G. Bresc-Bautier, G. Scherf and J. Draper eds. pp. 478-9.
Expert: Isabelle d'AMECOURT
Estim. 5,000 - 8,000 EUR