Idealized Bust Of Napoleon After Chaudet, Plaster Proof, France, 1st Half Of The 19th Century.

Idealized bust of Napoleon Bonaparte after the model by Chaudet, plaster cast, France, early 19th century. Mention on the plinth: 'Napoleon the Great'.

A month after the proclamation of the Empire, in Messidor of the year XII, newspapers informed enthusiasts that life-size plaster busts of the emperor, modeled by Chaudet, were available1. The artist had just modified his 1802 bust by removing the baldric and cloak to create the refined model of the bust of Napoleon as a hermes, which would be a huge success. Although this effigy was not the subject of an official commission, it was very successful and was reproduced in plaster, bronze and Sèvres biscuit.

 1. G. Hubert and G. Ledoux-Lebard, 'Napoléon, portrait contemporains, bustes et statues', Paris, 1999, p. 79-87.