Neapolitan dancer of Francisque Joseph Duret (1804-1865)

A bronze sculpture with a brown patina, depicting the "Neapolitan Dancer" by Francisque Joseph Duret. It rests on a small circular base adorned with seashells. Signed in relief on the base: "F. Duret" and "Delafontaine". French sculptor Francisque Duret (Paris, 1804-1865) drew inspiration from classical antiquity as seen through the lens of the Florentine Renaissance. Son of the sculptor François-Joseph Duret, he entered the École des Beaux-Arts in 1818 and won the Prix de Rome in 1823 for "The Grief of Evander in the Presence of the Body of His Son Pallas". From Rome, Duret sent several works to Paris: "Virgil's Shepherd," "Sappho Restraining Phaon," and "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, "Young Fisherman Dancing the Tarantella," which was exhibited at the Salon of 1833 (Louvre Museum). Numerous smaller versions were produced. "The Neapolitan Dancer," presented at the Salon of 1838 as a companion piece to "The Young Fisherman," was also cast in bronze. Several versions of the Neapolitan dancer theme are known to date: "Neapolitan Dancer" (Montpellier), "Young Fisherman Dancing the Tarantella" (Aix-en-Provence, Montpellier, Paris), "Neapolitan Dancer with Castanets" (Nîmes), "Neapolitan Dancer with Tambourine" (Nîmes). 19th century, circa 1860. Dimensions: W: 16cm, D: 10cm, H: 44cm.