11 - Gustave DORE (1832–1883)

Gustave DORE (1832–1883) Cupid Playing with Birds Bronze with a brown patina, signed on the base, stamped by the foundry Thiebaut Frères, Paris. H_12.5 cm W_21.5 cm D_11 cm Gustave Doré, born on January 6, 1832, in Strasbourg and died on January 23, 1883, in Paris, was a major French artist of the 19th century. An illustrator, engraver, painter, and sculptor, he is particularly famous for his illustrations, which had a profound impact on the history of publishing and the graphic arts. Deeply connected to his Alsatian roots, Gustave Doré was born in Strasbourg into a middle-class family. His father, a civil engineer, worked there. He spent part of his childhood in the Alsatian capital, where his remarkable talent for drawing became apparent at a very early age. This city and his native region provided the initial setting for his artistic awakening, although he left Alsace at a relatively young age to pursue his career in Paris. A precocious artist, he published his first drawings as a teenager and quickly achieved success in the capital. He illustrated numerous literary masterpieces, notably Dante’s *The Divine Comedy*, Cervantes’ *Don Quixote*, La Fontaine’s *Fables*, Perrault’s *Tales*, and the Bible. His vivid imagination, his sense of movement, and his remarkable mastery of chiaroscuro earned him international renown. Beginning in the 1870s, Gustave Doré also became highly active as a painter and sculptor. His sculptures explore mythological, allegorical, and fantastical subjects, demonstrating great artistic freedom and a particularly expressive imagination. Despite a relatively short career, he left behind a considerable body of work, distributed throughout Europe and as far as the United States. Today, Gustave Doré is recognized as one of the great versatile artists of his time. His legacy is notably present in the collections of the Musée d’Orsay in Paris and the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Strasbourg, which help to preserve and promote his work. Related Work: A very similar version of this work, *Cupid Shooting an Arrow*, sold for 2,340 euros at the March 27, 2019, auction at Artcurial in Paris. Expert: Camille CELIER