Auguste Baussan, Bust Of A Notable From Montpellier, Hérault, Signed And Dated 1856, Plaster

Large Bust of a Notable from Montpellier. Signed and dated 1856 on one side of the base. Plaster. Auguste Baussan, born in Avignon on May 21, 1829, and died in Montpellier on February 23, 1907, was a French sculptor. Originally from Avignon, Auguste Baussan trained under his father, Joseph Baussan (1791-1871), himself a sculptor, and under the painter Charles Matet in Montpellier. Baussan actively participated in the Montpellier artistic scene of the second half of the 19th century, alongside Matet, Michel Maximilien Leenhardt, Édouard-Antoine Marsal, and Frédéric Bazille. He was a professor of sculpture at the Montpellier School of Fine Arts. His first public commissions brought him to the attention of private individuals, as is the case here with the commission for this large and beautiful bust of a notable, perhaps a judge, professor of medicine or high-ranking official. Dimensions: height: 63 cm. Small scratches and graffiti on the skull, chips.