Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux, 1827 Valenciennes – 1875 Courbevoie

RIEUSE AUX ROSES, 1872 Height: 55 cm. On the base on the right "J. Bte CARPEAUX 1873". White marble. The bust in radiant white marble shows a smiling girl with roses in her hair, on her shoulders and décolleté. This work reveals the artist's main aim of rendering a smile as naturally as possible, one of the most difficult feats in the art of sculpture. In this respect, Carpeau x was probably the most important master. He was a pupil of Fernand Liet, Duret and Rude. In 1854 he was awarded the Prix de Rome. This was followed by studies in Italy and a longer stay in Rome. He was described as the new Michelangelo and exhibited at the Villa Medici. In 1862, he settled in Paris, where he met the sculptor Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse, a friend of Géricault. Influenced by François Rude, he became a pupil of Francisque Joseph Duret at the Academy and was soon honored with high-ranking commissions. In Paris, in addition to decorating the Flora Pavilion in the Louvre, he created his main work "La Danse" at the Paris Opera, which was attacked in 1869. He also created numerous busts, full-length figures and groups of figures, always expressive and in keeping with naturalism. Dalou and Forain were among his students. The popularity of his works led to versions in clay, including this bust. A.R. Literature: Cf. Michel Poletti, Alain Richarme, Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux, sculpteur. Catalogue raisonné de l'oeuvre édité, Paris 2003. Cf. Édouard Papet, James David Draper, Carpeaux (1827-1875). Un sculpteur pour l'Empire, exhibition catalog, Musée d'Orsay, Paris 2014. Cf. James D. Draper (ed.), The passions of Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux, exhibition catalog, MMA, New York 2014 (1401582) (11) Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux, 1827 Valenciennes - 1875 Courbevoie RIEUSE AUX ROSES, 1872 Height: 55 cm. Signed "J. Bte CARPEAUX 1873" on the right of the base. The bust is created from brilliant white marble and shows a smiling girl with roses in her hair, on her shoulders and décolleté. This artwork demonstrates the artist's focus of capturing a smile as naturally as possible, one of the most difficult achievements in sculpture. In this respect, Carpeaux was probably its greatest master. In Paris, in addition to decorating the Pavilion of Flora in the Louvre, he created his major work "La Danse" at the Opera Garnier in Paris. Literature: cf. Michel Poletti, Alain Richarme, Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux, sculpteur. Catalogue raisonné de l'oeuvre édité, Paris 2003. cf. Édouard Papet, James David Draper, Carpeaux (1827 - 1875). Un sculpteur pour l'Empire, exhibition catalog, Musée d'Orsay, 2014. cf. James D. Draper (et al.), The Passions of Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York 2014, (catalogue of the eponymous exhibition).