François-Raoul Larche French, 1860-1912

Larche had his sculptural training under Jouffroy and Falguière at the École des Beaux arts. He won the second prize grand prix de Rome in 1886, having made his debut at the Salon two years earlier. He was awarded many honours over the following thirty years and received an impressive crop of state and public commissions during his fairly brief career.

This allegorical group was exhibited in plaster at the Salon of 1891 (no.2650). In 1893 the model appeared at the Salon in marble (no.3054) and was bought by the state, the same marble was later exhibited at the Exposition Universelle of 1900 (no.365). The plaster version was sent to the Musée de Dijon. An esquisse in terracotta is in the Musée d’Orsay (RF 3680).

The present marble was almost certainly produced by Henri Godet, the practicien who carved the majority of Larche’s works in marble.

RELATED LITERATURE
Lami, vol. 3, p.252