Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux (1827-1875) - Lot 38

Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux (1827-1875) Imperial Prince and his Dog Néro n°4 Model created in 1865; our proof circa 1866-1870 Bronze with silver patina Titled on the front "S.A. LE PRINCE IMPERIAL". Signed, located and dated "JB CARPEAUX / AUX TUILERIES 1865". Marked "PROPRIETE CARPEAUX" with imperial eagle Bears the founder's mark "F. BARBEDIENNE. FONDEUR" and the stamp "REDUCTION MECANIQUE A. COLLAS BREVETÉ". Bears the number "119" incised on the inside. H. 27.5 cm Patina wear on the dog Provenance: former Franceschini Pietri collection (1834-1915) Reference work: -Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux, Le Prince impérial et son chien Néro, 1865, marble group, H.140.2 cm, Paris, Musée d'Orsay, inv. RF 2042. Related literature: -Michel Poletti, Alain Richarme, Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux, sculpteur, catalog raisonné de l'œuvre édité, Paris, Les Expressions contemporaines, 2003, model listed under n°SA 18, p. 68 ; -Florence Rionnet, Les Bronzes Barbedienne, 1834-1954, l'œuvre d'une dynastie de fondeurs, Paris, Arthena, 2016, p. 68. Back from Rome, where he continued his training as a sculptor from 1856 to 1862, Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux became Napoleon III's appointed sculptor. This position entailed major official commissions, as well as more intimate ones. This was particularly the case in 1864, when the imperial couple commissioned Carpeaux to create two portraits - one bust and the other full-length with his dog Néro - of their son, Eugène-Louis Napoléon, just ten years old. This double creation lasted from April to July of the same year, when the sculptor had the honor of taking up residence in a studio created for the occasion in the Orangerie des Tuileries. In 1866, Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux commissioned Ferdinand Barbedienne to create four reductions and master models of the Imperial Prince and the dog Néro. The imperial family acquired the first proofs cast by Barbedienne or Thiebaut. Our copy belonged to Franceschini Pietri, secretary to Napoleon III. The bronze edition of the model was discontinued when Napoleon III's administration obtained ownership of the rights to reproduce the prince's effigies in 1869, and again when the Republic was established.