Sculpture - The Laughing Neapolitan Woman , Jean-baptiste Carpeaux (1827-1875) - Marble

Rare white Carrara marble bust of the “Laughing Neapolitan Woman” by sculptor Jean-Baptiste CARPEAUX (1827-1875) .
The portrait is of Anna Foucart , eldest daughter of Jean-Baptiste Foucart , a close friend of Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux .
The sculptor painted the young girl in 1860 and reused the model several times , adapting it for “Laughing Neapolitan Woman” in 1863 and “Roses in the trees” in 1872.
Here, the emphasis is on traditional Neapolitan costume, as a counterpart to the bust of the “Laughing Neapolitan”, one of the Valenciennes sculptor's greatest successes.
Marble titled in a cartouche “RIEUSE DE CARPEAUX” (CARPEAUX'S LAUGHING GIRL) on the front of the bust .
Sculptor's signature “JB-CARPEAUX” on the side of the bust .
Early edition sculpture , second half of the XIXth century .
Very good condition .

Size : 51 cm x 28 cm

Jean-Baptiste CARPEAUX (1827-1875)

Jean-Baptiste CARPEAUX is a famous French sculptor , born on May 11 , 1827 in Valenciennes .

JB Carpeaux grew up in a modest family of workers in Valenciennes .
He liked to draw and wanted to study sculpture against his father's wishes .
At the Academy of the city , he followed the sculpture courses of "René Fache" and the architecture courses of "Bernard" .
Arriving in Paris in 1838 with his family , JB Carpeaux received his first training in drawing and modeling at the Petite École .
In 1844 , he entered the School of Fine Arts in Paris in the Studio of François Rude .
Ten years later , he won the Price of Rome .
His arrival in the Italian capital was delayed by a year , as the artist had to complete several commissions .
JB Carpeaux settled at the Villa Medici in January 1856 and studied the great masters : Raphael, Michelangelo .
He traveled to Italy where he drew his taste for movement and spontaneity .
During his stay in Italy, he sculpted three envois, "the Little Sulker", "the Fisherman with a Shell" and his "Ugolino surrounded by his four children" .

In 1862 , back in Paris , JB Carpeaux was introduced to the Imperial Court by his friend and patron , Eugène d'Halwin de Piennes , soon to be chamberlain of the Empress .
In the same year , he sculpted a bust of "Princess Mathilde" which allowed him to obtain several commissions from Emperor Napoleon III .
But each of his works , which showcase his naturalist conceptions and his desire to restore the movement inspired by the Baroque style , was the subject of controversy .
JB Carpeaux participated in the exterior decoration of the Pavillon of Flore at the Louvre Palace (The Triumph of Flore , considered too sensual at the time) , and at the newly built Opera by Garnier , with a high relief "The Dance" , outraging the public with its freedom and realism .

He collaborated with the architect Gabriel Davioud for his last work , "The Fountain of the Four Parts of the World" , also known as "The Paris Observatory Fountain".
The last years of his life were dark .
The war and the defeat of 1870 dried up the orders .
At the same time , JB Carpeaux developed a pathological jealousy towards his wife , which led to the couple's separation in 1874 .
Under the influence of his parents , short of money , he left the management of his studio to his brother .
In 1875 , he died at the age of forty-eight , after atrocious suffering due to bladder cancer .

Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux , very attached to his hometown , bequeathed part of his works to the Museum of Fine Arts in Valenciennes .