D'après Jean-Baptiste CARPEAUX (1827-1875) Lot n° 137

The Imperial Prince. Bust in patinated bronze, the representative "undressed cut at the shoulders", on a square pedestal marked on the front "H.A. THE IMPERIAL PRINCE". Signed on the side "JB CARPEAUX/AUX TUILERIES 1865". Antique proof, without foundry stamp. H. 38 cm. Good condition, some scratches and wear. History: The undressed model exists in six different sizes, making it the richest Carpeaux model offered to the edition. The original model in bronze is 62 cm. long, our copy corresponds to the 3/5th edition of the original, type n°1 made by Poletti & Richarme. It was also the one made in the greatest number of different materials (plaster, marble, bronze, terracotta, bisque, etc). It is not, however, the one that has been produced the most, even though it is now one of the most sought-after. Most of the bronze and terracotta production predates the transfer of rights to the imperial administration in 1869 (Poletti & Richarme, Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux: catalogue of the published work, Ed. Amateur, 2003, p.112). The family then published a small number of posthumous copies after 1875, which would probably correspond to the time of the making of our bust. Related works: - A bronze model without a foundry seal like ours is kept in the Museo Napoleonico in Rome (reproduced in the catalogue raisonné cat. BU12, p. 114). - A model with a bronze jacket and pocket with the same signature as ours is kept in a private collection (reproduced in the catalogue raisonné cat. BU11, p. 113).