Bonhams 1793 : A French 19th century white marble bust of Attis by Jean Baptiste Clésinger, Rome, dated 1860

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13 Dec 2012 14:00 GMT London, New Bond Street
Fine European Furniture, Sculpture & Works of Art
Back to auction 20320

A French 19th century white marble bust of Attis

by Jean Baptiste Clésinger, Rome, dated 1860
wearing a Phrygian hat and Classical drapery, a strap across his chest inscribed J. Clesinger. Rome. 1860, on a circular waisted foot and Rouge de Verone marble column, the bust: 95cm high (37" high); overall: 224cm high (88").

Estimate:

£20,000 - 30,000
€24,000 - 35,000
US$ 30,000 - 45,000

Footnotes

Born in Besançon in 1814, Jean-Baptiste Clésinger, known as Auguste (d.1883), began exhibiting at the Salon in 1843, making his début with a marble bust of the Vicomte de Valadhon. He was the son and pupil of a monumental sculptor and stone mason Georges Philippe Clesinger. His father took him to Rome in 1832 where he worked for a time in Bertel Thorvaldsen's studio. He also established his own studio in Rome and sent work from there to be exhibited at the Salon. Returning to Paris he worked with David d'Angers. In 1847 Clesinger married Georges Sand's daughter which put him into contact with the fashionable elite in Paris and led to commissions for many portrait busts. He is best known for the colossal bust of Liberty on the Champs de Mars in Paris. He won numerous medals and was created Officier de la Légion d'Honneur in 1864. Clésinger favoured the heroines of the ancient civilisations of Greece, Egypt and Rome as subjects for many of his works.

Literature:
Stanislas Lami, Dictionnaire des Sculpteurs de l'École Française Au Dix-Neuvième siècle, Paris, pages 393-405.

Category: Furniture / European Furniture and Works of Art

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