Émile-André Boisseau French, 1842-1923

When Boisseau exhibited his marble of Le Crépuscule at the Salon of 1883, it was accompanied by the verse translated opposite. It was subsequently awarded the prestigious gold medal and purchased for the Élysée Palace. The acclaim with which it was received resulted in an illustrated article in the Gazette des Beaux-Arts, where the critic H. Jouin described it thus: 'M. Boisseau a représenté le Crépuscule sous le forme d'un génie qui allume sa lampe nocturne pendant que les enfants sommeillent sous les ailes puissantes. L'artiste a donné un corps de femme au personnage qu'il voulait créer: le regard et l'attitude générale ont quelque chose de maternel. Le Crépuscule est une composition sobre et gracieuse'. The subject was not treated by sculptors that regularly however, as only Crauk had done a marble in 1870 and Cordier was to exhibit a statuette at the Salon of 1889.  Nonetheless Boisseau's highly endearing sculpture proved very popular and the Thiébaut foundry bought the rights to edit the model in three sizes, the present cast being a rare example of the largest. Marble reductions are also known.

Boisseau studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris under Dumont and Bonnassieux and exhibited regularly at the Salon from 1870 and at the Salon des Artistes Français. Many of his works can be found in regional museums across France such as in Nice, Rennes, Aurillac, Clamecy and Rennes.  Glasgow has his Les Fils de Clodomir exhibited at the Salon of 1899.

RELATED LITERATURE Benezit vol.2, p.476