Lot Essay
Auguste-Hyacinth De Bay was both sculptor and painter, studying the former under his father and the latter under Baron Gros. De Bay secured the coveted Prix de Rome in 1823 at the age of 19, and spent the subsequent seven years in Rome.
From 1830 De Bay exhibited regularly at the Salon, both paintings and sculpture. He included his marble 'Le Berceau primitif: Ève et ses deux enfants' in the 1845 Salon (no. 2070) and again in the 1855 Exposition Universelle (no. 4314), where he was awarded a first class medal. The subject matter of this group represents Eve with her two sons Cain and Abel. The sculpture combines a tender vision of motherhood, a secular interpretation of Charity, and the 19th century interest in historical and Biblical characters. The theme was a popular one at this time, but unlike other examples such as 'Cain and Abel' by Antoine Etex of 1832, De Bay has softened the severity of the Biblical tale into a more graceful and domestic scene.
The original Salon marble was acquired by Prince Demidoff, who later sold it in the house sale at his Florentine villa San Donato, it is now lost. This work was highly acclaimed by the general public and critics alike, and resulted in subsequent editions and reductions. Plaster examples are conserved in the Brussels Museum and in the Musée d'Angers, and one was included in The Romantics to Rodin exhibition (op. cit.). The latter plaster displayed scenes on its base of the tragic events to follow in Cain and Abel's lives, scenes which have been omitted from the present marble. An inexpensive terracotta version, produced for the US market, was exhibited at the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition (cf. Kasson, op. cit.). De Bay would have executed the present marble shortly after the success of his 1845 exhibit.
From 1830 De Bay exhibited regularly at the Salon, both paintings and sculpture. He included his marble 'Le Berceau primitif: Ève et ses deux enfants' in the 1845 Salon (no. 2070) and again in the 1855 Exposition Universelle (no. 4314), where he was awarded a first class medal. The subject matter of this group represents Eve with her two sons Cain and Abel. The sculpture combines a tender vision of motherhood, a secular interpretation of Charity, and the 19th century interest in historical and Biblical characters. The theme was a popular one at this time, but unlike other examples such as 'Cain and Abel' by Antoine Etex of 1832, De Bay has softened the severity of the Biblical tale into a more graceful and domestic scene.
The original Salon marble was acquired by Prince Demidoff, who later sold it in the house sale at his Florentine villa San Donato, it is now lost. This work was highly acclaimed by the general public and critics alike, and resulted in subsequent editions and reductions. Plaster examples are conserved in the Brussels Museum and in the Musée d'Angers, and one was included in The Romantics to Rodin exhibition (op. cit.). The latter plaster displayed scenes on its base of the tragic events to follow in Cain and Abel's lives, scenes which have been omitted from the present marble. An inexpensive terracotta version, produced for the US market, was exhibited at the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition (cf. Kasson, op. cit.). De Bay would have executed the present marble shortly after the success of his 1845 exhibit.