Large 19th Century Sculpture - Nude Young Neapolitan Fisherman Playing With A Turtle - Francois Rude?

Large and beautiful sculpture, executed in patinated plaster, which apparently dates from the 19th century and represents a young, nude Neapolitan fisherman playing with a turtle... The work is unsigned, but this theme was popularized by the famous sculptor Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux (1827-1875), who was clearly inspired by François Rude (1784-1855), another great French sculptor of the previous generation / see last photos. Note: beyond its beauty, one of the attractions of this sculpture is that it is almost impossible to find in "patinated plaster," which means that it may be a model: that is to say, the preparatory sketch. either to create the mold used to produce bronzes, or from a plaster cast obtained from the hollow molding... this old technique can be seen in the work of François Rude, who, for example, created "a bearded man's head" in patinated plaster, which corresponds to a series of bronzes in his production. It should be noted that if one carefully compares the sculptures of Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux and François Rude on this theme, one observes more similarities with François Rude, particularly the weave of the fishing net, which perfectly matches the cast offered here. In case of doubt, this sculpture is sold as "French school, 19th-20th century," but nothing prevents one from conducting their own investigations. A word to the wise for those interested in research. Dimensions: Length: 36 cm - Height: 33 cm - Width: 20 cm - Weight: 7 kg - some dents and old repairs (details in photos) / ask me for more photos if needed.