Rabelais Seated By Etienne Mélingue (1807-1875) - Large Bronze By Susse Frères, Paris 1845

Etienne Marin MÉLINGUE (1807-1875)
Seated Rabelais
Bronze
Signed and dated 1845 on the terrace
Stamp of the founder Susse Frères
Mid-19th century
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H 40 cm
~12 kg
Very good general condition.
Wear to the patina.
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Etienne Mélingue is a colorful and wonderfully endearing character. Painter, sculptor, miniaturist and great actor, he was the close friend of Victor Hugo, Hérédia, Dumas fils... He worked as a young man on the construction site of the church of the Madeleine, before leaving to make his fortune in Guadeloupe as a miniaturist and returning to Paris to play the great roles of the boulevard theater, while sculpting in his spare time. We owe him statuettes of actors, writers, poets, historical figures such as Molière, Corneille, La Fontaine, Racine, Lamartine, Ambroise Paré, Duprez in the role of William Tell, Bouffé in the role of the Gamin de Paris, Malfilâtre, an 18th century poet from Caen (his "country"), or even François I, Charles Quint, Le Grand Frédéric and even Satan! [Kjellberg 2005, p.498]. While he played the title role in Benvenuto Cellini, he modeled a statuette of Hébé on stage every evening... He was one of the first artists, along with Pradier, to have signed a publishing contract with the young Susse publishing house. Although he presented some works at the Salons, he never accepted official commissions, considering himself an amateur...
A man with whom one would have gladly shared a pint, certainly.
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Rabelais assis was published by Susse in two sizes, 10 and 40 cm. It is a rare subject in Mélingue's work.
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Pierre Kjellberg, Les bronzes du XIXe siècle, Dictionnaire des sculpteurs, Les éditions de l'Amateur, Paris 2005