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Artist or Maker: 19TH CENTURY, AFTER ÉTIENNE-MAURICE FALCONET (1716-1791)

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Literature: COMPARATIVE LITERATURE:
G. Levitine, The Sculpture of Falconet, New York, 1972
J.-R. Gaborit ed. Sculpture Francaise II - Renaissance et Temps Modernes, Vol. I, Paris, 1998, p. 365

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Notes: The prototype of the The Bather or Baigneuse, was executed by Étienne-Maurice Falconet in circa 1750 and was first exhibited in the Salon of 1757 described as 'no. 131 - Nymphe qui descend du bain'. It shortly after entered the collection of Mme Du Barry at Louveciennes but was seized from her on 10th January 1794 during the French revolution. It was subsequently documented in 1824 in the Grand Trianon at Versailles but was then moved to the Louvre sometime shortly after 1855.

Of humble origin and a relatively late starter in the medium of sculpture, Falconet was elected to assistant professor of the Acadèmie royale de peinture et de sculpture in 1755. During his time at the academy he proved to be a tempestuous character; known as much for being a powerful ally, fervently supporting certain students, as well as for being gratuitously sadistic to others. Nevertheless, he maintained life-long friendships with two fellow academicians; Francois Boucher and Jean-Baptiste-Marie Pierre. Pierre was drawn to Falconet presumably because he recognised in him a kindred spirit that embraced erudition in art and literature; Boucher, on the other hand favoured Falconet's studied simplicity and, in more generally their similar, very genuine, humble origins.

In looking at the present model of the Baigneuse, which is a larger and later copy of Falconet's prototype misleadingly signed 'Puget', one can see the physiognomy of the figure and the compositional type echoed extensively throughout Boucher's oeuvre - examples of this can even be seen in lots 32, 34 and 45 of this sale.

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