Aimé-Jules Dalou French, 1838-1902

Sir Robert Abdy; hence by descent

The original life-size terracotta of the Paysanne was made in 1873 for Sir Lionel Coutts Lindsay and exhibited at the Salon in that year (now in the V&A). Dreyfous' 1903 biography of Dalou observes that the composition is based on a mythological group of Juno suckling the Infant Hercules, however, the essence of the group is its innovative realism. Other terracotta versions are known in various sizes, but this is the only marble thus far recorded.  There has been some question about whether Susse produced an edition of the Paysanne in marble.  This seems unlikely because this model is not marked in the carnets noir, preserved in the Petit Palais, as one of the models considered suitable for transfer to marble (this should not be confused with La Jeune Mère which is a different model).  The fact that this is the only marble known to date makes it unlikely to have been part of a traditional commercial edition; unless this was an edition of one, and besides all the early Susse marbles were carved by Auguste Becker who was Dalou’s own carver during his lifetime. An alternative theory may be that the marble was commissioned from Dalou in England following the successful RA exhibition in 1873 and its publication in the Illustrated London News in 1874.  Dalou is known to have made a related marble during his English interlude, the group of Charity, now lost, outside the Royal Exchange, London. If this was the case, it might be imagined that Dalou could have been assisted in the carving by some of his most devoted students such as Alfred Drury or Alfred Gilbert, who is known to have made a careful and accurate drawing of the group.