catalog text
ALBERT ERNEST CARRIER-BELLEUSE (FRENCH, 1824-1887) ANTIQUE BRONZE SCULPTURE
"Bust of Rembrandt", signed "A. Carrier" and sealed "Bronze Garanti Au Titre Paris" en verso
Item # 1403YPU05-P
This finely detailed bust of Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669) by Albert Ernest Carrier-Belleuse followed in the tradition of his other busts, each capturing figures highly admired in the mid-nineteenth century for their ingenuity and intellect. Rembrandt is intricately detailed with his flowing locks over the twists and flops of his intricate garb. Signed on the back of the bust and sealed, it is likely a work executed shortly after Carrier-Belleuse's death in 1887, a time when many of these busts were cast by the foundry Pinedo upon request of his widow (Kjellberg, p. 189), the foundry executing the work unidentified on the sculpture. It is notable for the incredible detail and finely chased and filed surface, each lock of hair perfectly formed and the whole finished in a wonderful deep brown patina. For anyone passionate about fine antique bronze sculptures, this is a wonderful late 19th to early 20th century example.
Albert Ernest Carrier-Belleuse apprenticed as an engraver at age thirteen beside the goldsmith Fauconnier in Paris, later being accepted into the Ecole des Beaux-Arts based on the endorsement of David d'Angers in 1840. His training became evident in his later work with bronzes, the minute and exceptional attention to small details required as a goldsmith eventually would give depth and life to his romantic sculptures. Exhibiting a keen interest in porcelain, he was eventually named the director of Works of Art at the Sevres porcelain factory in Paris in 1875, many of his works being then interpreted into painted scenes manufactured by the firm. Some of the most treasured works by Carrier-Belleuse is the extensive quantity of busts he produced, these capturing famous and less-than-famous artists, poets, musicians, writers, politicians, financiers and merchants of the time. Nicknamed the "Clodion of the 19th Century" both by his contemporaries and by Napoleon III, his romantic treasures were highly regarded and resulted in him being commissioned for many public monuments during the Second Empire. His work is prominently listed and catalogued in most major works on bronze sculptors of the period.
Notes:
- Art Bronzes, Forrest, p. 472 (biography), also extensive photography of Carrier works
- Bronzes of the Nineteenth Century: Dictionary of Sculptors, Kjellberg, p. 189-92
- Bronzes: Sculptors and Founders, vol. II, Berman, p. 371 (featuring "Rembrandt" in 8.5" c. 1870 and in 18" high c. 1870, as well as a full figure of Rembrandt executed by Carrier-Belleuse)
Measurements: 8 3/4" high x 5 1/4" wide x 3 1/2" deep
Condition Report:
Exceptional condition, patina in fine state of preservation. Please review all images in the slideshow for a full overview of condition.
