Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse (French, 1824-1887) Cupid and...

Hammer

£1,800

Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse (French, 1824-1887)
Cupid and Sleeping Psyche
c. 1870s
Bronze on a marble base

Dimensions:
17 in. (H)

By the time Carrier-Belleuse produced this piece, he had already secured his reputation as a highly respected Parisian Romantic sculptor. In 1867, he was awarded the Medal of Honor at the Paris Salon - the highest artistic commendation in Paris at the time. However, the beginning of the Franco-Prussian war in 1870 compelled Carrier-Belleuse to move his family to Brussels. Whilst they were subsequently able to avoid the dreadful trials of Commune and the second siege of Paris, Carrier was separated from his friends and colleagues. By 1871, several of Carrier-Belleuse’s assistants (including Rodin) joined him in Brussels, and by the end of the year they returned to Paris. It is likely that Cupid and Psyche was conceived during this period. The dramatic, Rococo-esque figures exude passion and melancholia, poignantly echoing the calamity that was taking place in Carrier-Belleuse’s birthplace.