Léda et le cygne (Leda and the Swan)

Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse was one of the most important and innovative sculptors of 19th century France. Dr. Anita Brookner called him a 'manipulator of styles', an epithet addressing Carrier-Belleuse's versatility and fearless experimentation in the fine and decorative arts. Carrier-Belleuse’s range is exemplified in the present composition: he borrows a brooding Leda from Michelangelo, gives her the face and figure Diana of Fontainebleau, and combines the whole with the Rococo fuelled flair of Clodion. A terracotta version of Leda and the Swan by Carrier-Belleuse is in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (Accession Number: 1980.123) and versions in bronze and plaster are recorded. Marble however is superior and more rare.