Pierre-Jean DAVID D'ANGERS (1788-1856), attribué à - Lot 182

Lot n° 182
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Result : 390EUR
Pierre-Jean DAVID D'ANGERS (1788-1856), attribué à - Lot 182
Pierre-Jean DAVID D'ANGERS (1788-1856), attribué à * Portrait of Robespierre laureate (circa 1835) Bas-relief in terracotta, unsigned, of circular form, representing him in profile on the left, wearing an oak crown or "civic crown". D. 22 cm. Provenance: Georges de Froidcourt Collection (1885-1972), magistrate from Liège [ n°57/R]. History: This preparatory work on terracotta appears to be the finished sketch that the great statuary made for the series of bronze medals, devoted to famous figures from history and art. David d'Angers made three models representing Maximilien de Robespierre and one representing his younger brother. According to Buffenoir who published a study on the portraits of the Tyrant, the one crowned with an oak wreath is the rarest. It recalls an episode of the Revolution at the end of the Constituent Assembly in September 1791; as he left the Assembly with Pétion, Robespierre was acclaimed and carried in triumph by the crowd waiting in the Tuileries gardens. It was amidst cries of "Vive la Nation, Vive la Liberté" that an oak crown was placed on his head. Buffenoir reports that David d'Angers owned a medallion of Robespierre in grisaille on porcelain, a souvenir given to him by Souberbielle, the personal physician of the tribune. This miniature probably inspired the sculptor to realize our portrait, of which we can note this excellent criticism: The figure of the tribune is superb, of honesty, of uprightness, and at the same time of elegant finesse. It is a masterly portrait. Related works: - Musée du Louvre, Robespierre wearing the civic crown, bronze medallion, cast by Fumière, inventory number RF 1872 and DA 003B; copy without crown, inventory number DA 025 E. - Musée Carnavalet, Portrait of Robespierre, in profile bust, bronze medallion, inv. S1878. In the same series, portrait without crown, bronze medallion, inv. S589
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