THE GROUP CAST FROM A MODEL BY ALBERT-ERNEST CARRIER-BELLEUSE, THE STAND POSSIBLY CAST BY CHARPENTIER & CIE., PARIS, CIRCA 1870

A pedestal of this design was exhibited by the pre-eminent bronzier Charpentier at the 1867 Exposition Universelle to great acclaim. Working in the Neo-Grec style which reached its zenith of popularity during the Second Empire, Charpentier's masterworks were lauded by the Art Journal: 'M. Charpentier is surpassed by none of his competitors in the fabrication of Works in Bronze. They are designed and modeled by eminent artists of France, and are finished with the nicest skill. He holds, consequently, the highest rank among the manufacturers of Paris' (The Art Journal's Illustrated Catalogue of the Universal Exhibition of 1867, London, p. 82). An example of this model was sold at Christie's, New York, 23 April 2004, lot 168 ($22,705).

The whimsical figural group, by Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse, is equality exquisite in its casting and chasing. Though lacking a foundry inscription, it is almost certain the figure was cast by Charpentier or a contemporary, with whom the artist quickly established a reputation for excellence. In fact, Carrier-Belleuse regularly 'freelanced with the growing number of manufacturers of art, such as Charpentier, Barbedienne, Denière, Paillard' and would continue to supply models for them throughout his lifetime' (J. Hargrove, "Carrier-Belleuse, Clésinger, and Dalou: French Nineteenth-Century Sculptors," The Minneapolis Institute of Arts Bulletin, 1974, 28-43). Another example of this model was sold at Christie's, New York, 29 March 2009, lot 263 ($29,900).