Charles-Auguste Fraikin

Paris, Exposition Universelle, 1878

Catalogue officiel, Tome 1, Exposition universelle internationale de 1878 à Paris, Paris, 1878, p. 317

Overall the condition of the marble is good with minor dirt and wear consistent with age. There are restored breaks running through the palate and proper left hand. There are joints or old, subtle, restored breaks running through the struts of the easel at the bottom and very top, and also through the proper right hand and the tassel connected to the easel. There are a few minor restorations including to the bottom lip. There are a few small chips including to the edges and corners of the base. There is minor naturally occurring veining including a slightly open vein to the proper right leg. There are a few small naturally occurring inclusions. There is some minor staining to the surface possibly due to moisture, in particular to the back of the easel at the top There is minor stable splitting to the wood base consistent with the material and general wear.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Charles-Auguste Fraikin studied at the Brussels Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts under Louis Jéhotte, and was one of the most successful sculptors in mid 19th-century Belgium. His masterpiece, L'Amour Captif, which propelled him into fame, won the gold medal at the Exposition Nationale des Beaux-Arts, Brussels in 1845. It was subsequently exhibited in London (1851) and Dublin (1853), and a copy was ordered for the Hermitage in St Petersburg. Fraikin’s sculptures, which embody a warm, sentimental blend of classicism, and look back to the Rococo terracottas of Clodion, were particularly favoured by the Belgian bourgeoisie.

The present marble, a slightly frivolous interpretation of an Allegory of Painting, shows Fraikin's affinity with Rococo sculpture, particularly its prevalence of putti. Compare the figure in the present group to a putto in Le Triomphe de Bacchus in the Musées Royaux in Brussels (van Lennep, op. cit. p. 177), which is very similar in pose, as well as the caps both putti are wearing. See also a slightly different version of the present composition, published in Engelen and Marx, op. cit., p. 728. The present playful marble was exhibited by Fraikin at the Paris Exposition Universelle of 1878, listed as L'artiste (op. cit. no. 41).

RELATED LITERATURE
J. van Lennep, Catalogue de la Sculpture, Artistes nés entre 1750 et 1882, cat. Musées royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique, Brussels, 1992; C. Engelen and M. Marx, Beeldhouwkunst in België vanaf 1830, Brussels, 2002, vol. II. p. 726-33