Carrara Marble Bust Of Corneille Van Clève, After Jean-jacques Caffieri (1725-1792).

Magnificent Carrara marble bust of Corneille van Clève, after Jean-Jacques Caffieri (1725-1792).
France, 19th century.

Corneille van Clève: Corneille van Clève came from a family of Flemish goldsmiths who settled in Paris at the beginning of the 17th century. He is said to have first trained with Michel or François Anguier before joining the Royal Academy, then the French Academy in Rome in 1671, where he carefully studied the works of Gianlorenzo Bernini. He extended his stay in Italy for four years, notably in Venice, before returning permanently to France in 1678. He was finally admitted to the Academy in 1681 with his marble statue of Polyphemus, now kept in the Louvre Museum in Paris, inspired by Annibale Carracci's fresco in the Palazzo Farnese in Rome. Over the next 40 years he had a distinguished career serving royal, private and religious clients.