Hippolyte MAINDRON (1801-1884) Lot n° 12

Velléda Bronze with brown patina. Titled 'VELLEDA' on the front. Signed 'H Maindron' on the side of the terrace. Height: 46 cm Related works : -Etienne Hippolyte Maindron, Velléda, 1871, marble, H.: 198 cm, Musée du Louvre, Paris, n°inv.2992 ; The original plaster model of this work depicting the Gallic priestess Velléda waiting for the jailer Eudore, with whom she has fallen in love, was a great success when presented at the Salon of 1839. The artist, Etienne Hippolyte Maindron, a student of David d'Angers at the École des Beaux-Arts from 1827, depicts her as she is described in Book IX of Châteaubriand's "Martyrs". Martyrs" by Châteaubriand, published in 1809 and inspired by the artist. The sculpture's successful transposition of the heroine's fateful destiny into the material gave it the status of a "herald" of the Romantic movement. In response to the public's enthusiasm, the marble created in 1844 and presented in the Luxembourg gardens was followed by the production of numerous edition copies in different materials and dimensions.