catalog text
"AMALTHEA AND JUPITER'S GOAT"
Cast after a model by Pierre Julien (French, 1731-1804)
Patinated bronze | Unsigned, A. Collas seal verso | incised "F. Barbedienne Fonde" | circa 1880
Item # 105LMI23J
Pierre Julien's model of Amalthée et la chèvre de Jupiter was originally commissioned by Louis XVI for his newest acquisition, the Château de Rambouillet. Marie Antoinette was not fond of the castle and in an effort to make it more appealing to her, he had constructed in secret grotto "Laiterie de la Reine" (the Queen's dairy) with the statue of Amalthea commissioned as the primary focal point in 1786-87. In the words of art historian Michael Preston Worley, the model is "one of Julien's greatest achievements". The grand original statue was executed in marble and was eventually moved to the the Louvre in 1829 until its return to the original site in 1953.
The goat-tending nymph Amalthea raised the infant-god Jupiter in a cave in the slopes of Cretan Mount Aigaion on a diet of milk and honey. In the Greek version of the myth, Jupiter (Zeus in the Greek myth) was hidden with Amalthea to save him from destruction at the hands of his father, Cronus, who devoured his newborn children at the moment of their birth.
The present example was executed by the Ferdinand Barbedienne foundry during the last quarter of the 19th century and is featured in their 1886 catalogue as Baigneuse and was offered in five sizes: 86 cm for 1050 francs, 69 cm for 600 francs, 52 cm for 350 francs, 43 cm for 250 francs and 34 cm for 200 francs. The present model is reduction number 3 (52 cm) and is finished in a warm brown surface patina with some lighter hues on the goat and blacks and dark browns in the recesses and crevices. The model is sealed verso with the A. Collas reduction seal and incised along the edge "F. Barbedienne fonde".
Bibliography:
- Bronzes d'Art F. Barbedienne, Paris, 1886, p. 29 [noted as "Baigneuse, par Julien]
- Pierre Julien, Sculptor to Queen Marie-Antoinette, iUniverse, 2003, see p. 75-93 for discussion of his work at Rambouillet
Models offered at auction:
- See Sotheby's,
- Pierre Julien, Sculptor to Queen Marie-Antoinette, iUniverse, 2003, see p. 75-93 for discussion of his work at Rambouillet
Measurements: 20" H x 14 1/8" W (11" W at base) x 8 3/4" D (7" D at base)
Condition Report:
Fine original condition, professionally cleaned and polished surfaces sealed in beeswax, very minor handling wear to surface patina.