Gifts
Grand Scale 19th Century Marble Bust Of Ernest Meissonier
West Sussex, United Kingdom
£2,350 per item
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Item details
Height
82.0 cm
Width
60.0 cm
Depth
30.0 cm
Wear conditions
Good
Wear conditions
Excellent
Shows little to no signs of wear and tear.
Good
May show slight traces of use in keeping with age. Most vintage and antique items fit into this condition.
Average
Likely to show signs of some light scratching and ageing but still remains in a fair condition.
Apparent Wear and Tear
Visible signs of previous use including scratches, chips or stains.
Please refer to condition report, images or make a seller enquiry for additional information.
Description
Grand Scale 19th Century Marble Bust of Ernest Meissonier
French 19th Century circa 1880
Grand Scale
Beautifully sculpted from marble
The bust bears a remarkable likeness to his self-portrait of 1889
H: 82cm (32.3") W: 60cm (23.6") D: 30cm (11.8")
Jean-Louis-Ernest Meissonier was born in Lyon 21 February 1815 and died in Paris on 31 January 1891. He was a French Classicist painter and sculptor. He became famous for his depictions of Napoleon and his military sieges and manoeuvres in paintings acclaimed both for the artist's mastery of fine detail and his assiduous craftsmanship.
Meissonier was an admirable draughtsman upon wood, his illustrations to Les Conties Rémois (engraved by Lavoignat), to Lamartine's Fall of an Angel to Paul and Virginia, and to The French Painted by Themselves being among the best known.
The leading engravers and etchers of France have been engaged upon plates from the works of Meissonier, and many of these plates command the highest esteem of collectors.
A less well-known class of work than his painting is a series of etchings: The Last Supper, The Skill of Vuillaume the Lute Player, The Little Smoker, The Old Smoker, the Preparations for a Duel, Anglers, Troopers, The Reporting Sergeant, and Polichinelle, in the Hertford House collection.
He was the teacher of Édouard Detaille and those listed below:-
Jean Charles Meissonier (his son)
Georges Bretegnier
Maurice Courant
Lucien Gros
Daniel Ridgway Knight
Charles Meissonier
Louis Monziès
Alphonse Moutte
Gaylord Sangston Truesdell
Meissonier enjoyed great success in his lifetime, becoming, with Gérôme and Cabanel, one of "the three most successful artists of the Second Empire."
He was acclaimed both for his mastery of fine detail and assiduous craftsmanship. The English art critic John Ruskin examined his work at length under a magnifying glass, "marvelling at Meissonier's manual dexterity and eye for fascinating minutiae".
Meissonier worked with elaborate care and a scrupulous observation of nature. Some of his works, as for instance his painting 1807,Friedland (created c. 1861–1875). This is now held in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, in New York.
Meissonier worked in the painting for fourteen years, from 1861 to 1875. He started by painting the sky and made separate studies for each horse and man, using, among others, wax models. The one used to paint the hussar visible in the front, on the left side of the painting, has survived. The finished work caused a sensation and was widely praised, although there were also many voices of criticism. Among his critics were American novelist Henry James and the painter Édouard Manet, who stated, jokingly, that in the painting "everything looks like it's made of steel... except the cuirasses." The critic Henry Houssaye noted that the painting was fictional, since Napoleon did not review his troops at Friedland.
Meissonier's work commanded enormous prices and in 1846 he purchased a great mansion in Poissy, sometimes known as the Grande Maison. The Grande Maison included two large studios, the atelier d'hiver, or winter workshop, situated on the top floor of the house, and at ground level, a glass-roofed annexe, the atelier d'été or summer workshop.
Meissonier himself said that his house and temperament belonged to another age, and some, like the critic Paul Mantz for example, criticised the artist's seemingly limited repertoire. Like Alexandre Dumas, he excelled at depicting scenes of chivalry and masculine adventure against a backdrop of pre-Revolutionary and pre-industrial France, specialising in scenes from 17th and 18th Century life.
In 1840 he was awarded a third-class medal, a second-class medal in 1841, first-class medals in 1843 and 1844 and medals of honour at the great exhibitions. In 1846 he was appointed knight of the Légion d'honneur and promoted to the higher grades in 1856, 1867 (June 29), and 1880 (July 12).
In 1861 he succeeded Abel de Pujol as member of the Academy of Fine Arts.
Meissonier was attached by Napoleon III to the imperial staff, and accompanied him during the campaign in Italy at the beginning of the war in 1870. During the Siege of Paris (1870–1871) he was colonel of a regiment de marche, one of the improvised units thrown up in the chaos of the Franco-Prussian war.
Additional dimensions information:
H: 82cm (32.3") W: 60cm (23.6") D: 30cm (11.8")
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Free collection available
Yes
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- Selling at Vinterior since 2023
- 26 sales
- Ships from West Sussex, United Kingdom
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Cancellations and Returns
Last updated: 17th October 2024
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