Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux (1827-1875) - Lot 40

Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux (1827-1875) Le Chinois, sketch Model created in 1868; published by Susse from 1920 to 1939, circa 1920 Proof in patinated terra cotta Signed "J.Bte Carpeaux" on the left shoulder Bears the circular stamp and the publisher's stamp "SUSSE FRES EDITS PARIS" on the reverse. H. 59 cm 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°BU23, p. 122 ; -Edouard Papet, James David Drapper, Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux (1827-1875), un sculpteur pour l'empire, Paris, Co-édition musée d'Orsay/Gallimard, 2014, model listed under no. 108, pp. 143-151. The model for this bust corresponds to the preparatory study of the figure of Asia made by Jean-Bap- tiste Carpeaux in 1868, when the city of Paris commissioned architect Gabriel Da- vioud to create a fountain for the Avenue de L'Observa- toire. For this project, the sculptor conceived a group of four allegorical figures supporting a hollowed-out globe embodying The Four Parts of the World supporting the celestial sphere. Two of these allegories, Asia and Africa, were executed from life. Later, the bust of the Chinese personifying Asia was adapted into a female figure to harmonize and balance the group. After the 1870 war and Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux's exile in England, the Auteuil workshop reopened and began marketing the bust of the Chinaman. In this case, the Valenciennes sculptor was particularly innovative, as he produced an es- quissée version of the work, which was daringly modern for its time. The public appreciated the vitality of the model, the flat tints of material that enlivened her costume and the movement of the face turned to the right, which multiplied the points of view. A particularly rare edition during Carpeaux's lifetime, our fine print is part of the corpus published by Susse between 1920 and 1939.