Jean-Baptiste Auguste Clésinger

The present bust, nonchalantly dressed with open collar and loose neckerchief, is a fine work by the French sculptor Auguste Clésinger. Clésinger's busts are renowned for their high level of detail and accurate likeness to the sitter, as demonstrated by the present bust.

Paul Dalloz was one of Clésinger's most important patrons. A press baron who began his career as editor of Le Moniteur universel, Dalloz married the dancer Adeline Plunkett. The quality of the carving is noteworthy and displayed in the fine pleating of his dress as well as in his relaxed and natural expression, reflecting Clésinger's admiration for his patron.