Hippomenes Statuette By Nicolas I Coustou, Late 18th Century

Hippomenes Statuette
after Nicolas I Coustou (1658–1733)
Late 18th-century patinated bronze
Pink marble and rhodonite base

Dimensions: 28 cm high x 10 cm in diameter


An elegant bronze sculpture depicting Hippomenes, a hero of Greek mythology made famous by his race against Atalanta. The work is inspired by the model created by the great French sculptor Nicolas I Coustou, whose compositions combine movement and grace.

Nicolas I Coustou is a French sculptor from a family of wood carvers in Lyon. In 1676, he went to Paris to follow the teaching of his uncle Antoine Coysevox, then director of the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture. He won the Prix de Rome in 1682 and joined the following year the Académie de France in Rome, where he continued his training by copying from ancient times. Received in 1693 at the Academy, he then became professor, then rector and finally chancellor. At the same time, he took part in the major projects of Louis XIV in Paris, Versailles and Marly and also created the Pietà of Notre-Dame de Paris. Several of his works are now exhibited at the Louvre.