Lot n° 453
Estimation :
10000 - 15000
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Jean-Baptiste II Lemoyne (1704-1778) - Lot 453
Jean-Baptiste II Lemoyne (1704-1778)
Bust of a young woman
Terracotta on blackened wood pedestal
18th century
H. 31.5 cm with pedestal (very slight crazing)
Provenance:
From the workshop of Jean-Baptiste II Lemoyne, preserved in his estate.
Galerie Alain Moatti, rue des Saints-Pères, Paris
Born into a family of sculptors, Jean-Baptiste II Lemoyne represents the great tradition of French sculpture. A pupil of Robert Le Lorrain, he was admitted to the Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture in 1725,
Lemoyne made sculpted portraiture his specialty, and became the official portraitist of King Louis XV. His work was mainly destined for a private clientele at court.
Portraiture, very much in vogue in the 18th century, is wonderfully represented here. Although the identity of the two models remains unknown, these two busts can be compared with certain female busts in terracotta by Jean-Baptiste II Lemoyne, published in Louis Réau's book. These include the busts of
Madame du Barry (plate 16), Elisabeth Douce (plate 101) and
Mademoiselle Victoire Martin (plate 102), signed and dated 1750.
All three feature the same pedestal design, with the face slightly tilted and turned to the left or right, and a lock of hair adorned with flowers and flowing back to the front of the face.
These two bust portraits testify to the artist's mastery of modelling, giving us two lively representations, and are characteristic of his free, lively style.
Bibliography:
Louis Réau, Une dynastie de sculpteurs au XVIIIe siècle, Les Lemoyne, 1927, Paris, Les Beaux-arts
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