Lot Essay
The arms carved on the column of the older sitter are those of the O'Brien family, as used by the Marquesses of Thomond and Earls of Inchiquin, and later Barons Inchiquin. The head of the family in 1850, at the time the portraits were executed, was James, 3rd Marquess of Thomond, 7th Earl and 12th Baron (c.1768-1855). On his death the Marquessate and Earldom became extinct, but the barony devolved on his cousin Sir Lucius O'Brien, Bart. As the Marquess died without issue, it is probable that the sitters are the wife and daughter of an O'Brien collateral branch (which would also have the right to use the arms). As Auguste Barre inscribed the works Paris, the sitters must have travelled to the French capital or have been living there. As a private commission the two portraits would not necessarily have been exhibited publicly, and in fact, they do not appear in the list of Salon exhibits listed by Lami.
Jean-Auguste Barre (1811-1896) trained initially as a ciseleur and medallist with his father, and later as a sculptor in the studio of Cortot. Though Barre worked on mythological and allegorical figures, he was primarily famed for his portraiture. He exhibited at the Salon from 1831 to 1886, and maintained a successful high profile over a period of 50 years. Barre was one of the creators of the portrait-statuette during the 1830s, and developed this format over the following two decades primarily in bronze. His subjects ranged widely from intimate studies of his friends, to public figures such as the Duc d'Orleans, to celebrities such as the dancers Fanny Essler and Marie Taglioni. He enjoyed the patronage of both Louis-Philippe and Napoleon III, executing the figure of the Duchesse d'Orléans for the Royal Chapel at Dreux for the former and numerous portraits of Napoleon III, Empress Eugénie and their entourage for the latter.
Besides the mouvementé figures of the dancers Fanny Essler dancing the Cachucha, Marie Taglioni in the Sylphide and the Bayadère Amany, Barre's portrait-statuettes often took the form of romantic reverie. The primary inspiration for these was the Antique figure of Polyhymnia in the Louvre, in which the muse has her arms crossed, her head resting on her hand, and one arm propped against a tree trunk support. A pose popular at the time, seen in several 19th century French sculpture, such as Clésinger's Melancolie and Barre's own Rachel, and in paintings, such as Ingres' portrait of the Comtesse d'Haussonville. However, in the present figure of the daughter the pose is identical though in reverse. While the figure of the mother, closer in form to Barre's Queen Victoria, with the supporting column to one side follows a more traditional Antique pose, seen for example in the Rome Marble Faun. Barre's success was due in part to this Classical foundation, and also to his delicate characterisation and the minute attention to detail. These features are finely balanced in the present pair of figures, the faces of the sitters are individualised while still pretty, their poses are naturally graceful and though relaxed, maintain an appropriate dignity, and all details are carved with masterly attention. Barre excelled in texturing his sculptures, and the differentiation of the materials in these marbles is remarkable, the waved hair of the mother, her lace collar, the curling fringe of her soft shawl, and in the daughter the fine embroidered shawl, the heavy folds of her dress, the delicate pattern of her bracelet and the rampant ivy enrich and colour the fine white marble. The present pair of figures are particularly rare on two accounts, firstly the material and secondly their size. Barre's fame rested on the introduction of small statuettes, (45cm. high) cast in bronze (though he did occasionally work in ivory), which were relatively inexpensive and easily edited in quantities if necessary. The present lot is an expensive commission both as a result of the material and of their relatively large size. These factors and their artistic merit make them an important work of the mid 19th century in France, by one of the principal exponents of the genre.
Jean-Auguste Barre (1811-1896) trained initially as a ciseleur and medallist with his father, and later as a sculptor in the studio of Cortot. Though Barre worked on mythological and allegorical figures, he was primarily famed for his portraiture. He exhibited at the Salon from 1831 to 1886, and maintained a successful high profile over a period of 50 years. Barre was one of the creators of the portrait-statuette during the 1830s, and developed this format over the following two decades primarily in bronze. His subjects ranged widely from intimate studies of his friends, to public figures such as the Duc d'Orleans, to celebrities such as the dancers Fanny Essler and Marie Taglioni. He enjoyed the patronage of both Louis-Philippe and Napoleon III, executing the figure of the Duchesse d'Orléans for the Royal Chapel at Dreux for the former and numerous portraits of Napoleon III, Empress Eugénie and their entourage for the latter.
Besides the mouvementé figures of the dancers Fanny Essler dancing the Cachucha, Marie Taglioni in the Sylphide and the Bayadère Amany, Barre's portrait-statuettes often took the form of romantic reverie. The primary inspiration for these was the Antique figure of Polyhymnia in the Louvre, in which the muse has her arms crossed, her head resting on her hand, and one arm propped against a tree trunk support. A pose popular at the time, seen in several 19th century French sculpture, such as Clésinger's Melancolie and Barre's own Rachel, and in paintings, such as Ingres' portrait of the Comtesse d'Haussonville. However, in the present figure of the daughter the pose is identical though in reverse. While the figure of the mother, closer in form to Barre's Queen Victoria, with the supporting column to one side follows a more traditional Antique pose, seen for example in the Rome Marble Faun. Barre's success was due in part to this Classical foundation, and also to his delicate characterisation and the minute attention to detail. These features are finely balanced in the present pair of figures, the faces of the sitters are individualised while still pretty, their poses are naturally graceful and though relaxed, maintain an appropriate dignity, and all details are carved with masterly attention. Barre excelled in texturing his sculptures, and the differentiation of the materials in these marbles is remarkable, the waved hair of the mother, her lace collar, the curling fringe of her soft shawl, and in the daughter the fine embroidered shawl, the heavy folds of her dress, the delicate pattern of her bracelet and the rampant ivy enrich and colour the fine white marble. The present pair of figures are particularly rare on two accounts, firstly the material and secondly their size. Barre's fame rested on the introduction of small statuettes, (45cm. high) cast in bronze (though he did occasionally work in ivory), which were relatively inexpensive and easily edited in quantities if necessary. The present lot is an expensive commission both as a result of the material and of their relatively large size. These factors and their artistic merit make them an important work of the mid 19th century in France, by one of the principal exponents of the genre.