Tartivot (active second half 18th century) French, 1780

the socle inscribed: i.B.TARTiVOT... CiT.A^O.1780
with a pencil inscription to the back of the bust

Overall the condition of the terracotta is good with dirt and wear to the suface consistent with age. There are a few losses to the drapery including to the proper right collar, to the proper left lapel, and at the proper right shoulder. There is a further loss to the bottom of the socle at the front, a large loss to the back of the socle on the right side, and a small loss on the left side. There are a few minor chips including to the riboon in the hair. There are a few stable firing cracks to the back. The bust has been covered in a wash.
"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."

Stylistically and conceptually, this finely modelled bust finds parallels in contemporary late 18th-century French portrait busts, notably those of Augustin Pajou (1730-1809). In a number of his male portrait busts, Pajou betrays a similar interest in modelling the costume of his sitters. As in the present bust, several of his sitters wear fashionable coats with prominent buttons and creased lapels: compare with his bust of Hubert Robert, dated 1792, at the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Valence (on loan from the École National Supérieure des Beaux-Arts, inv. no. 4286). Note also the carefully modelled eyebrows in the present bust which likewise compare with those in Pajou's oeuvre: see, for example, his terracotta bust of Pierre-François Basan in the Louvre (inv. no. RF 1929).

According to Lami, the sculptor Tartivot or Tardivot is recorded as having been a student at the Académie royale in Paris during the second half of the eighteenth century. He was awarded a third medal in 1765, a second medal in 1769 and a first medal in 1770. The initial I. B. would suggest that the artist's full name was probably Jean-Baptiste Tartivot, though this is unconfirmed in the literature.

RELATED LITERATURE
S. Lami, Dictionnaire des sculpteurs de l'école française au dix-huitième siècle, vol. ii, Paris, 1911, p. 352; S. Lami, Dictionnaire des sculpteurs de l'école française au dix-huitième siècle, vol. ii, Paris, 1911, p. 352; J. D. Draper and G. Schert, Augustin Pajou. Royal Sculptor 1730-1809, exhib. cat. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, and Musée du Louvre, Paris, New York and Paris 1997, pp. 234-5 and 264-7, nos. 94 and 108