- 73
Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux
Estimate
40,000 - 60,000 GBP
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Description
- Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux
- Le Chinois (Bust of a Chinese Man)
- signed: JBte Carpeaux and inscribed: Susse Frs Edts / Paris / Cire Perdue and stamped with the Susse pastille
- bronze, green-brown patina
Condition
Overall the condition of the bronze is very good, with minor dirt and wear to the surface consistent with age. There is a greenish hue in some of the crevices and around the base; this is possibly an intentional patination. There is some very minor wear to the cheeks, nose and forehead. There is a small patch with some greening to the centre of the neck.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
Catalogue Note
This beautiful bust of a young Chinese man, finely cast in bronze, represents a high point of Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux's small oeuvre of ethnographic sculpture.
Carpeaux made two versions of Le Chinois. The present model is cast after the first version, which was executed in 1868 and is distinguished from the 1872 variant by its sketchier, more spontaneous modelling. Carpeaux here captures the character of his sitter and approaches the scientific mastery of Cordier's ethnic busts. Very much a product of the vogue for orientalisme, the bust was developed as part of Carpeaux's monumental group Quatre Parties du Monde, commissioned by the city of Paris in 1867 as the crowning element of the architect Davioud's Fontaine de l'Observatoire.
The 1872 model, exhibited at the Salon that year and in Brussels in 1874, was edited in a reduction, and often paired with his Buste Négresse. Interestingly, when an 1868 model Buste Chinois appeared at auction in Amsterdam on October 19, 1874, it was already being differentiated as the 'sketch'.
Susse produced a catalogue specifically for works by Carpeaux, and they edited both versions of the Buste Chinois. Identified as model No. 1 and No. 2, they were listed in the catalogue as numbers 7 and 8 respectively. The 'sketch' in bronze appeared in the 1914 Susse catalogue with a price of 800 francs. Casts of the sketch in the present size are exceedingly rare.
RELATED LITERATURE
P. Fusco and H. W. Janson, Romantics to Rodin, exh. cat. Los Angeles County Museum of Art in association with George Braziller, Inc., Los Angeles, 1980, pp. 154-5, cat. 41; M. Poletti and A. Richarme, Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux sculpteur, Paris, 2003, p. 122, no. BU23 (esquisse); P. Cadet, Susse Frères: 150 Years of Sculpture, 1837-1987, ..., 1992, pp. 315-9, 371-2
Carpeaux made two versions of Le Chinois. The present model is cast after the first version, which was executed in 1868 and is distinguished from the 1872 variant by its sketchier, more spontaneous modelling. Carpeaux here captures the character of his sitter and approaches the scientific mastery of Cordier's ethnic busts. Very much a product of the vogue for orientalisme, the bust was developed as part of Carpeaux's monumental group Quatre Parties du Monde, commissioned by the city of Paris in 1867 as the crowning element of the architect Davioud's Fontaine de l'Observatoire.
The 1872 model, exhibited at the Salon that year and in Brussels in 1874, was edited in a reduction, and often paired with his Buste Négresse. Interestingly, when an 1868 model Buste Chinois appeared at auction in Amsterdam on October 19, 1874, it was already being differentiated as the 'sketch'.
Susse produced a catalogue specifically for works by Carpeaux, and they edited both versions of the Buste Chinois. Identified as model No. 1 and No. 2, they were listed in the catalogue as numbers 7 and 8 respectively. The 'sketch' in bronze appeared in the 1914 Susse catalogue with a price of 800 francs. Casts of the sketch in the present size are exceedingly rare.
RELATED LITERATURE
P. Fusco and H. W. Janson, Romantics to Rodin, exh. cat. Los Angeles County Museum of Art in association with George Braziller, Inc., Los Angeles, 1980, pp. 154-5, cat. 41; M. Poletti and A. Richarme, Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux sculpteur, Paris, 2003, p. 122, no. BU23 (esquisse); P. Cadet, Susse Frères: 150 Years of Sculpture, 1837-1987, ..., 1992, pp. 315-9, 371-2