After a model by Pierre Julien (1731-1804) French, 19th century

Sotheby’s London, 20 April 1989, lot 183

 

Standard surface wear and abrasions, very minor losses and chips. Overall very good condition
"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."

This composition of Amalthea with Jupiter’s Goat was originally created as the central element in the sculptural decoration of Marie Antoinette's dairy, or Laiterie, at Rambouillet. The château and its park were acquired by Louis XVI in 1783 for the queen. Pierre Julien received the royal commission in 1785 and the marble was exhibited at the Salon of 1791. Known as one of Julien’s finest works, Amalthea was the only sculpture in the round made for the Laiterie. Julien also executed a number of low reliefs with subjects related to the mythological and bucolic program there. Julien's sculptures for Rambouillet were dispersed in the aftermath of the French Revolution. The statue of Amalthea entered the Musée du Louvre in 1829, and in 1953 it was returned to its original location at the Château (inv. no. CC 230)

The present marble is a full-scale version of the Rambouillet Amalthea. A replica, now lost, of the original was executed by Julien in the summer of 1804 for his patron, Jean Marie Lafont de Juys, an active promoter of the arts in his native city of Lyon. The terracotta bozzetto for the Amalthea is also in the Louvre (inv. no. RF 2309) and a later full-size terracotta of the sculpture is preserved in the Henry Huntington Library and Art Gallery, San Marino, California.

In Greek mythology, Amalthea was a deity variously described as a
she-goat and a nymph. According to one legend, she was the daughter of the Cretan king Melisseus. She raised the infant Zeus on the milk of a goat, while her sister provided him with honey. Another story describes her as a nymph possessed of a miraculous horn, the proverbial cornucopia, which was given to her by Zeus with the promise that she would always find in it whatever she wished.

RELATED LITERATURE
S. Lami, Dictionnaire des sculpteurs de l'Ecole Française au dix-huitième siècle,
Paris, 1911, vol. II, pp. 14-15; M. P. Worley, "Catalogue of the Works of Pierre Julien", Gazette des Beaux-Arts, 6e pér., CXII, November 1988, p. 195, no. 28 h; M. P. Worley, Pierre Julien. Sculptor to Queen Marie-Antoinette, New York, 2003