Auguste-Hyacinthe Debay

together with a copy of J.A.L., Album du Salon de 1845. Examen critique de l'exposition, Brussels, 1845

Overall, the condition of the terracotta is very good with minor dirt and wear to the surface consistent with age. The terracotta is covered in a thin layer of slip, which has not quite covered some of the crevices. There are a few scuffs to the patina and minor flaws. There are a few areas of roughness to the surface, including to the inside of Eve's proper left leg. There is some roughness and a few slightly unstable residues to the area around the proper right side of Eve's neck and face. There is a small loss to Eve's diadem at the back. There are a few small losses to the bases and a couple of possible restorations, including to the front edge at the left. There are a few minor, stable fissures to the base and to the rock Eve is sitting on.
"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."

Auguste-Hyacinthe Debay had his first major public commission at the age of 13 with a colossal bust of Louis XVIII for his native city of Nantes. The Salon debut of this child prodigy came the following year. He trained in sculpture with his father Jean-Baptiste Debay (père) and in painting with the renowned Baron Gros.

Auguste-Hyacinthe Debay was principally a painter, with Lami noting that he created only 15 sculptures. However, his occasional sculptural contributions to the Salon were well received. Le Berceau primitif was exhibited in marble at the Salon of 1845. In his account of this Salon, J.A.L. (op.cit., pp. 135-137) notes that the figure was conceived 15 months earlier. An unveiling of an untraced large plaster figure - possibly the present statue- shrouded in mystery took place in front of a enthusiastic crowd of contemporary artists, who urged him to carve the composition in marble. Once exhibited, it was also admired by the most influential critics of the day, including Baudelaire and Théophile Gauthier, who called it an "ingenious idea", comparing the infants in the encircling arms of their mother to birds clustered in a nest. The marble was shown again at the Exposition Universelle of 1855.

Debay's poignant subject was in tune with contemporary sensibilities. The nude Eve, nestling Cain and Abel, recalls Michelangelo's Bruges Madonna, her maternal serenity set in ominous contrast with the tragic future of her sons.

RELATED LITERATURE
J.A.L., Album du Salon de 1845. Examen critique de l'exposition, Brussels, 1845, pp. 135-139; P. Fusco and H.W. Janson, The Romantics to Rodin. French Nineteenth-Century Sculpture from Amrican Collections, exh. cat. Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, 1980, pp. 226-227, no. 103