Lot 25
  • 25

Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse French, 1824-1887

Estimate
3,000 - 4,000 GBP
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Description

  • Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse
  • Bacchanale (A group of saytr and Bacchante)
  • signed: A. CARRIER BELLEUSE
  • terracotta, on an ebonised wood socle

Condition

Overall the condition of the terracotta is very good. There is some rubbing and very minor chips.
"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."

Catalogue Note

This terracotta is one of the works that Carrier-Belleuse would have described as "genre de Clodion".  He unabashedly used this turn of phrase in reference to some of his work.  To further allude to the eighteenth-century master sculptor, Carrier added attributes for which Clodion was famous: a tamborine, thyrsus and tourch.  However, as Hargrove explains, Carrier's sculpture "generates an earthly eroticism more brutal than Clodion's gossamer atmosphere."

RELATED LITERATURE
Lami, vol. 1, p. 282; Hargrove, pp. 234-5