Marie Francois Sadi Carnot (1837-1894) Sèvres Porcelain Bust, 1890, Sculptor H. Chapu

A very fine bust of Marie-François Sadi Carnot (1837-1894), President of the French Republic. The bust is made of Sèvres porcelain biscuit, signed by the sculptor Henri Chapu, and bears the Sèvres factory stamp dated 1890. The base is enameled in Sèvres blue. Sadi Carnot was born on August 11, 1837, in Limoges and died on June 25, 1894, in Lyon. He was President of the Republic from December 3, 1887, until his death. He pursued higher education at the École Polytechnique and the École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées (National School of Bridges and Roads), then became an engineer in Haute-Savoie. Active in politics with the Republican party, he became a deputy for the Côte-d'Or, then Prefect of Seine-Inférieure, Under-Secretary of State, then Minister of Public Works, and later Minister of Finance. He also served as Vice-President of the Chamber of Deputies and Chairman of the Budget Committee. Once president, Carnot faced a major challenge to republican institutions with the rise of anti-parliamentarianism, the rise of Boulangism, and anarchist attacks. It was at this time that the Panama scandal erupted, following a period of ministerial instability. His term was also marked by the centaur of the French Revolution and the Universal Exposition in Paris. He was stabbed by the anarchist Sante Geronimo Caserio in Lyon following the passage of laws against anarchism.