Francisque-Joseph Duret French, 1804-1865

bidding is closed

Description

Francisque-Joseph Duret
danseur napolitain au tambourin et danseur napolitain aux castagnettes (A pair of Neapolitan dancers)
both signed: Duret and inscribed by the foundry Delafontaine
bronze, dark brown patina, on black marble socles

Catalogue Note

These were popular models during the last quater of the nineteenth century and this pair are good early casts bearing the Delafontaine foundary inscription.

Alongside his well known L'Improvisateur, Duret's Neapolitan dancers were inspired by his sojourn in Naples and reflect the influence of both classical antiquity and the Florentine Renaissance.

Born in Paris, Duret enrolled at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in 1818 and studied under Bosio and his father Francois-Joseph. He shared the Grand Prix with Durmot and exhibited at the Salon from 1831 to 1863, winning a first class medal in 1831. He entered the Institut in 1843 and was given the title of professor at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in 1852.

RELATED LITERATURE

Kjellberg, p.305