A bronze proof with a brown patina representing the "Neapolitan Dancer" by Francisque Joseph Duret. It stands on a small circular base dotted with shells. Signed on the base: "F. Duret" and "Delafontaine". French sculptor Francisque Duret (Paris, 1804-1865) was inspired by classical antiquity as seen through the lens of the Florentine Renaissance. The son of sculptor François-Joseph Duret, he entered the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in 1818 and won the Prix de Rome in 1823 for "Douleur d'Évandre en présence du corps de son fils Pallas". From Rome, Duret sent several works to Paris: "Le Berger de Virgile" (Virgil's Shepherd), "Sapho retenant Phaon" (Sappho holding back Phaon) and "Mercure inventant la lyre" (Mercury inventing the lyre), which was exhibited at the Salon of 1831. It was during a trip to Naples that he conceived one of his most famous bronzes, "Jeune pêcheur dansant la tarentelle", which was exhibited at the Salon of 1833 (Musée du Louvre). Numerous reductions have been made from it. The "Neapolitan Dancer", exhibited at the Salon of 1838 as a counterpart to the "Young Fisherman", was also published in bronze. Several versions of the Neapolitan dancer theme are known to date: "Danseur napolitain" (Montpellier), "Jeune pêcheur dansant la tarentelle" (Aix-en-Provence, Montpellier, Paris), "Danseur napolitain aux castagnettes" (Nîmes), "Danseur napolitain au tambourin" (Nîmes). XIX° period, Circa: 1860 Dim: W:16cm, D:10cm, H:44cm.
- Reference :
- 1723
- Availability :
- Sold
- Width :
- 16 (cm)
- Height :
- 44 (cm)
- Depth :
- 10 (cm)
- Identifier Exists:
- False
