Auguste-hippolyte Chabrier, Calendal, The Hero Of Frédéric Mistral (1870)

AUGUSTE-HIPPOLYTE CHABRIER (1841 Malaucène -?)
Calendal, the anchovy fisherman from Cassis (the hero of Frédéric Mistral)
1870
Marble H. 42 cm
Signed and dated: Chabrier 1870
Lit: Ferdinand Saurel and Alfred Saurel, L'Histoire de the city of Malaucène and its territory, Volume 2 (Avignon 1883), p. 168-170
Some small losses

Frédéric Mistral published his poem Calendal in 1867 only three years before Chabrier sculpted his bust of the hero. For Calendal's head, Chabrier was probably inspired by the antiquities in the Museum of Arles. An excellent account of Chabrier's sculptures can be found in Ferdinand Saurel and Alfred Saurel, L'Histoire de la ville de Malaucène et de son territoire, Tome 2 (Avignon 1883). The authors specifically mention our bust of Calendal, but it is worth reading the whole passage, which is very interesting and we find that Chabrier and Mistral were correspondents.