Jean-Baptiste CARPEAUX (1827-1875) Le Chinois,... Lot 245

Jean-Baptiste CARPEAUX (1827-1875) Le Chinois, sketch Model created in 1868, published by Susse between 1920 and 1939 Terracotta proof Signed "JB. Carpeaux" on the left shoulder Bears the circular stamp and the publisher's stamp "SUSSE F RES EDIT S / PARIS" on the reverse. 58.5 x 52.5 cm BIBLIOGRAPHY Michel Poletti, Alain Richarme, Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux, sculpteur. Catalog raisonné de l'œuvre éditée, Paris, Les Expressions contemporaines, 2003, model listed under n°BU23, p. 122. NOTICE The model for this bust corresponds to the preparatory study for the figure of Asia made by Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux in 1868 for a fountain commissioned by the city of Paris from architect Gabriel Davioud for the Avenue de L'Observatoire. For this project, the sculptor designed a group of four allegorical figures supporting a hollowed-out globe embodying The Four Parts of the World supporting the celestial sphere. Two of these allegories, Asia and Africa, were executed from life. Later, the bust of the Chinese personifying Asia was adapted into a female figure to harmonize and balance the group. After the 1870 war and Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux's exile in England, the Auteuil workshop reopened and began marketing the bust of the Chinaman. Here, the Valenciennes sculptor was particularly innovative, publishing a sketched version of the work, which for its time was a daring modernity. The public appreciated the model's vitality, the flat areas of material that enlivened her costume, and the movement of the face turned to the right, which multiplied the points of view. Editions during Carpeaux's lifetime are particularly rare, and our beautiful print is part of the corpus published by Susse between 1920 and 1939. We would like to thank LACROIX JEANNEST for their kind collaboration.