Désiré Marie, Bust Of The Virgin, Made By Charles Avril Monchanin (circa 1870)

Désiré-Pierre-Louis Marie
Bust of the Virgin
Made at the tile factory of Charles Avril in Monchanin
Circa 1860-1870
Terracotta (molded)
H. 28 cm
Signed: D Marie
Stamp of Charles Avril's factory in Montchanin

Charles Avril became the owner of a large tile factory in Montchanin in the early 1860s. In 1878 this company became the Grande Tuilerie de Bourgogne which closed its doors in 1967. Désiré-Pierre-Louis Marie was a Norman sculptor born in Anisy (Calvados), a pupil of Armand Toussaint, who exhibited at the Paris Salon in the 1860s and 1870s. This bust of the Virgin a magnificent example of 19th century French industrial sculpture, and an important piece of artistic and industrial heritage for Montchanin and La Creusot.