Fauna And Nymph, Terracotta Signed Bouchardon

A faun dances in front of a nymph playing the flute. Large patinated terracotta medallion signed at the bottom Bouchardon, second half of the 19th century. Very good state.

"Edme Bouchardon (1698-1762) was born into a family of artists. His father Jean-Baptiste and his brother Jacques-Philippe were sculptors. He was a pupil of Guillaume Coustou before obtaining in 1722 the Prix de Rome with a relief having for subject Gideon chooses his soldiers by observing their manner of drinking. He leaves in 1723 to improve himself at the Academy of France in Rome where he will remain nine years. He is in the papal city at the same time as the sculptor Adam, and presented a project for the Trevi fountain. He also took advantage of his stay to make a copy of Faune Barberini. On his return in 1732, he immediately obtained (a rare occurrence) a lodging in the Louvre. He was appointed sculptor to the king in 1732 , obtained the accreditation of the Academy in 1733 before being received in 1744. Finally, he became professor in 1745. We know about fifty statues of him.His major achievements include the fountain in the rue de Grenelle. It illustrates his interest in the issue of this urban element, which he had developed in his project for that of Trevi. He is also beginning to build a statue of Louis XV for the Place de la Concorde, an unfinished statue. It is considered as a point of balance between the severity of the Antique and the grace of the natural rockery. He is also seen as a precursor of neoclassicism in sculpture. We keep many drawings and sketches of his hand, mainly red blood ".