Clotilde De Surville After Jean Gautherin

Elegant young woman of the medieval nobility, carrying her sleeping baby. A poem in old French relating to this scene of great tenderness appears in a cartouche on the base of the plinth. This bronze statue was made by the Barbedienne foundry in Paris around 1890 after the marble work of the sculptor Jean Gautherin who had presented it at the Salon of 1879. The nuanced brown patina has retained its initial appearance, the whole is in very good condition. Stamps of the Barbedienne foundry (Collas reduction), numbering and signature J. GAUTHERIN. Reference inscriptions are visible under the statue in accordance with the publisher's rules. Jean Gautherin was born in 1841 in Ouroux (Nièvre), showing aptitudes in the field of sculpture, it was in 1864 that he was admitted to the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris and his works were exhibited at the Salon the following year. In 1881, he was appointed a member of the sculpture committee of the Society of French Artists. His mastery earned him fine commissions from the State, and his creations were presented in the most prestigious museums. In 1878, Jean Gautherin received the title of Knight of the Legion of Honor.