François Rude, Bronze Bust Of Christ, Jesus And The Crown Of Thorns, Fumière-thiebaut

Magnificent bust of Christ wearing his crown of thorns. Superb brown patina. Our sculpture bears the signature of the prestigious sculptor François Rude (see last photo) as well as the foundry mark of Charles Fumière - Thiébaut Frères. François Rude was a French sculptor born in Dijon on January 4, 1784, and died on November 3, 1855, in Paris. He is representative of the transition between Neoclassicism and Romanticism, of which he is one of the masters. The son of a blacksmith, he learned drawing in Dijon with François Devosge. In 1809, he settled in Paris and was admitted to the École des Beaux-Arts in the studio of Pierre Cartellier. In 1812, he won the Prix de Rome. In 1815, he moved to Brussels and entered the service of the architect Charles Vander Straeten. He created bas-reliefs for one of the pavilions of the palace. Tenvuren. He also executed official commissions for King William I of the Netherlands. In 1827, he returned to Paris where he gradually transitioned from Neoclassicism to Romanticism. In 1833, he was awarded the Legion of Honour and received a commission for a high relief for the Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile entitled "The Departure of the Volunteers of 1792," more commonly known as La Marseillaise. The success of this work allowed him to open his own workshop and train students, including his nephew Paul Cabet. From 1852, he devoted the last three years of his life to two sculptures, the subjects of which he himself chose, commissioned by his native city of Dijon. In 1855, he received a medal of honour at the Universal Exhibition in Paris; he died the same year. Thiébaut Frères is a dynasty of five generations of bronze founders. Charles Fumière, a draftsman at Thiébaut in 1895. In 1919, the Thiébaut company was acquired by Charles Fumière, along with the rights to produce artworks. It operated from 1920 to 1926, after which it ceased all activity. The imprint for this period was: Fumière et cie // Thiébaut freres à Paris. Dimensions of our sculpture: height 38 cm, base: 13 cm x 13 cm, weight 9 kg. Please contact us for shipping costs.