Luca Madrassi - Major Sculpture In Three Types Of Marble - Grief, The Young Girl With The Broken Jug

A very fine and important polychrome marble sculpture by Luca Madrassi (1848–1919), depicting The Young Girl with the Broken Pitcher, after the celebrated composition by Jean-Baptiste Greuze.

Standing an impressive 83 cm high, the sculpture immediately distinguishes itself through the quality of its execution and, above all, through the particularly refined use of several different coloured marbles, carefully selected to distinguish the flesh, clothing, pitcher and base.

The young woman is depicted standing in an attitude of restraint and melancholy. Her head is gently inclined, her gaze lowered and her arms drawn close to her body, delicately expressing the feeling of “Sorrow” (“Chagrin”), the title which appears in relief directly on the base.

The face, neck and arms are carved from white marble, whose fine grain allows Madrassi to render the young woman’s features with remarkable softness. By contrast, the hair, garments and various elements of the composition create a particularly successful interplay of colours and materials.

The dress is carved from a superb brecciated marble in warm tones, whose natural veining follows and enhances the numerous folds of the garment. Madrassi makes full use of the material here: the different marbles are not merely decorative but play an integral role in the visual richness and interpretation of the sculpture.

The broken pitcher, an essential element of the subject, is carved from yellow marble, providing a striking contrast with the flesh tones and clothing.

The sculpture rests upon an important marble base bearing the inscription “CHAGRIN” in relief. A plaque affixed to the lower section is also inscribed “La Cruche Cassée – d’après Jean-Baptiste Greuze”, clearly identifying the source of the composition.

The subject is derived from one of the most celebrated compositions by Jean-Baptiste Greuze (1725–1805), The Broken Pitcher, now preserved in the Musée du Louvre in Paris.

Far more than a simple genre scene, Greuze’s painting is renowned for its sentimental and allegorical language. The broken pitcher, the young woman’s attitude and her expression have traditionally been interpreted in relation to fragility, lost innocence and romantic sorrow.

More than a century after Greuze, Madrassi translates this celebrated iconography into three dimensions. The painting becomes a true sculpture, while the use of polychrome marbles allows the sculptor to recreate, through the materials themselves, something of the chromatic richness of the original composition.

Born in Italy in 1848 and later established in Paris, Luca Madrassi belonged to the important generation of Italian sculptors who pursued their careers in the French capital during the second half of the 19th century.

He trained at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, notably under Pierre-Jules Cavelier, and also worked in the circle of Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse. His work is characterised by considerable technical mastery and a particular taste for female figures, allegorical and literary subjects, and an especially refined and decorative approach to sculpture.

In the present work, Madrassi demonstrates in particular his mastery of polychrome marble. The combination of different stones, the precision of their assembly and the varied treatment of their surfaces require particularly accomplished workmanship and give the sculpture a richness quite distinct from a work carved from a single block of marble.

At 83 cm high, this is not simply a decorative statuette but a sculpture of considerable presence, whose dimensions allow the quality of the face, hands, drapery and different marbles to be fully appreciated.

Through its immediately recognisable subject, substantial dimensions, richness of materials and quality of execution, “Sorrow – The Broken Pitcher” represents a very fine example of late 19th-century sculpture and of the work of Luca Madrassi.

A particularly elegant and decorative sculpture in which the virtuosity of polychrome marble carving is combined with one of the most celebrated subjects inherited from 18th-century French painting.

Artist: Luca Madrassi (1848–1919)
Subject: “Sorrow” – The Young Girl with the Broken Pitcher, after Jean-Baptiste Greuze
Period: Late 19th century
Material: Polychrome marbles
Height: 83 cm
Inscription: “CHAGRIN” in relief on the base
Plaque: “La Cruche Cassée – d’après Jean-Baptiste Greuze”
Condition: Very fine overall condition.