Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse French, 1824-1887

Overall the condition of the terracotta is very good. There is a minor crack to the proper left of the base. There is some surface dirt and rubbing and a small chip to a fold in the drapery of her right sleeve.
"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."

Carrier-Belleuse was an innovator. Not only did he pioneer new treatments of traditional themes, and not only did he develop original methods and techniques for the production of sculptures in his large studio, but he was one of the first sculptors to organise public sales of his works at auction. These took place mainly at the Hôtel Drouot, but were also staged in Brussels and London. Catalogues for sixteen sales are documented and the sculptor may have held others for which catalogues have not survived. These sales offered works in marble, terracotta and plaster sometimes with reproduction rights.

It has been suggested that Carrier created the model of the Amazone specifically for his 1868 Drouot sale. Hargrove notes that in his model he 'transformed his eclectic sources into a thoroughly nineteenth-century configuration. The arrangement of the figure approximates Pajou's Psyche...But the Amazone is more boldly sensual than Psyche. Carrier-Belleuse added a mannered lushness to Pajou's idea."

RELATED LITERATURE
Hargrove, p.233, pl. 212