catalog text
JULES PIERRE ROULLEAU
French, 1855-1895
"Hébé and the Eagle of Jupiter" (1882)
Patinated bronze | conceived 1882, cast circa 1890 by Thiebaut Freres | signed "J. Roulleau" to naturalistic base
Item # 112ZSB05D
A sensitive modeling of the allegorical Hébé, goddess of youth, resting on the wings of Jupiter's eagle, Aetos Dios; his talons rest on the naturalistic rock and his wings are prone for flight. Here he readies himself to whisk her away to Mount Olympia where she will serve the gods and goddesses with the nectar and ambrosia of immortality. It was a popular subject matter from the late 18th century through the end of the 19th century with many depictions of the goddess in painted and sculptural form, often depicting contemporary sitters in this coveted role. She was associated with immortal youth, but also had a strong connection with young brides as the most beautiful of goddesses who eventually would be the bride of Heracles (Hercules) after he achieved divinity. Roulleau's depiction is an exquisite vision of youth and innocence, her posture relaxed and in a dreamlike state as she balances herself with a thin cloth flowing carelessly across the back of this powerful eagle.
The present model is finished in a medium-brown overall patina with an underlying reddish hue. It is sealed with the foundry cachet of Thiebaut Freres prior to their partnership with Gavinot and Fumiere.
Born on the 16th of October 1855 in Libourne, France, Jules-Pierre Roulleau attended the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris where he studied under Pierre-Jules Cavelier and Louis Ernest Barrias. He debuted at the Salon of 1878 and won the second Grand Prix de Rome in 1880. The present model was exhibited at the Paris Salon of 1882 in bronze as no. 4827 where it was one of two submissions by Roulleau that year, the other being a bronze statue 3 meters high titled Lazare Carnot (1753-1823). He again submitted Hébé and the Eagle of Jupiter again in 1889 at the Exposition Universelle executed in marble as no. 2135. Roulleau continued exhibiting regularly through 1894, during which time he achieved a second-class medal for his submission of 1882, a silver medal at the Exposition Universelle of 1889 and was made Legion of Honor in 1890. His budding career was cut short by an early death at the age of forty in April of 1895.
Artist Listings & Bibliography:
- Bronzes of the Nineteenth Century: A Dictionary of Artists, Pierre Kjellberg, p. 601
- Dictionnaire des Sculpteurs de L'École Française, Vol. IV, Lami, 1970, p. 198-199
- E. Benezit Dictionary of Artists, Vol. XII, Gründ, 2006, p. 13
- See Sotheby's, Sale Nl16232, 14 December 2016, lot 27 for a model of slightly smaller size executed in marble, achieved 8600 GBP
Measurements: 24 3/4" H x 22 7/8" D x 23 3/4" W
Condition Report:
Original patina with handling wear and surface variation under wax; some patina loss to the garment (more notable beside her left hand), around the feathers of the eagle; casting seams visible, notably in the wing of the eagle and the girl's outstretched leg where the pin for a roman joint is visible.