CIRCA 1785, INCISED SCRIPT INITIAL FOR BOIZOT AND 5 TO THE FRONT OF 'LA MELANCOLIE'

The sculptor Etienne-Henri Falconet conceived of La Mélancolie in 1761, exhibiting the plaster, entitled La douce Mélancolie at the Salon des Beaux Arts that year. He presented the marble in 1763 after which it was sent to the Hermitage in Saint Petersburg. Simon Boizot followed with La Méditation in 1775. Conceived as a pair, the figures proved extremely popular and were marketed by Sèvres in biscuit porcelain in two sizes. The present figures are examples of the smaller size which sold for 440 livres the pair. The larger size sold for 600 livres the pair.

A reading of the sales records for these models reveals that between 1775 and 1788, many were bought as singles, many as pairs, and often by dealers. It is therefore impossible to confirm the sales record that relates to the present examples.