Lot Essay
Angélique, inspired by Ludovico Ariosto's famous 16th century poem Orlando Furioso, is a masterpiece carved at the height of Carrier-Belleuse's powers. The present piece is a one-third reduction of the exceptional Salon marble which measured an astounding 94 1/2 inches tall.
The impact of Angélique at the 1866 Salon was dramatic. Théophile Thoré, writing under the pseudonym W. Bürger, observed that it was the most discussed statue at the Salon and compared it to the work of Clésinger: 'it is lively, a bit contorted and a bit jordanesque for the nature of marble as thought by our friends in the Academy'. Other critics compared Angélique to the work of Pierre Puget and Rubens. Charles Blanc, writing for the Gazette des Beaux-Arts, expressed similar views about Carrier-Belleuse's rejection of conventional Academic tenets: 'there are such beautiful [sculptural] heresies in his Angelica; but no doubt he accepts my concerns with a smile. Such strong men, like him, who follow their own irresistible temperament, are incorrigible; and this is exactly their strength'. Edmond About's review of the Salon expressed a similar mixture of criticism, shock and admiration. 'Carrier-Belleuse is not only the most prolific contemporary sculptor and the most active at popularizing the art of sculpture he is also endowed with a rare audacity. His Angélique is one of the boldest works that has been seen at the Salon for a long time'.
Angélique is one of only nine major marbles Carrier-Belleuse exhibited during thirty years at the Salon. Of these, all except his relatively sober Ondine (1864), the Entre deux amours (1867) and the obscure Filoméla (1881) are in public collections. It was Carrier-Belleuse's practice to make only one full scale marble, although he subsequently made smaller scale editions in a wide variety of materials. The present reduction is rare because in the case of Angélique Carrier-Belleuse produced more terracotta examples than marble reductions.
(fig. 1) Detail
(fig. 2) Angélique with its pedestal
The impact of Angélique at the 1866 Salon was dramatic. Théophile Thoré, writing under the pseudonym W. Bürger, observed that it was the most discussed statue at the Salon and compared it to the work of Clésinger: 'it is lively, a bit contorted and a bit jordanesque for the nature of marble as thought by our friends in the Academy'. Other critics compared Angélique to the work of Pierre Puget and Rubens. Charles Blanc, writing for the Gazette des Beaux-Arts, expressed similar views about Carrier-Belleuse's rejection of conventional Academic tenets: 'there are such beautiful [sculptural] heresies in his Angelica; but no doubt he accepts my concerns with a smile. Such strong men, like him, who follow their own irresistible temperament, are incorrigible; and this is exactly their strength'. Edmond About's review of the Salon expressed a similar mixture of criticism, shock and admiration. 'Carrier-Belleuse is not only the most prolific contemporary sculptor and the most active at popularizing the art of sculpture he is also endowed with a rare audacity. His Angélique is one of the boldest works that has been seen at the Salon for a long time'.
Angélique is one of only nine major marbles Carrier-Belleuse exhibited during thirty years at the Salon. Of these, all except his relatively sober Ondine (1864), the Entre deux amours (1867) and the obscure Filoméla (1881) are in public collections. It was Carrier-Belleuse's practice to make only one full scale marble, although he subsequently made smaller scale editions in a wide variety of materials. The present reduction is rare because in the case of Angélique Carrier-Belleuse produced more terracotta examples than marble reductions.
(fig. 1) Detail
(fig. 2) Angélique with its pedestal