19th-century Bronze, 62 Cm, Jean Jules Salmson 1823–1902, *the Violinist During The Empire*, French School

Lost-wax bronze on a bronze base, in very good condition,

Signed: Salmson, a listed and priced artist,

Artprice estimate: up to 13,000 euros

Jules Salmson is listed in the Bénézit and in P. Kjellberg’s Dictionary of 19th-Century Bronzes on pages 609 and 610.

Sold with invoice and certificate.

Subject: The Violinist under the Empire …

Period: 20th century

Dimensions: Height: 62 cm – Width: 20 cm – Weight: 12 kg

Biography:

Jean Jules SALMSON 1823/1902

Sculptor and medalist, born in Paris on July 18, 1823; died on May 7, 1902. French School;

Jules Salmson was the son of Jean-Baptiste Salmson (sv) (1807–1866), a medal and gemstone engraver of Swedish origin who settled in Paris in 1822. His cousin was the painter Hugo Salmson (1843–1894).

He enrolled at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, where he studied under Jules Ramey, Armand Toussaint, and Auguste Dumont. In 1845, he won the sculpture competition with a work titled L'Effroi. In 1846, he entered the second round of the Grand Prix de Rome but destroyed the work because he was not satisfied with it.

He made his debut at the 1859 Salon; he received a second-class medal in 1863 and 1867, and was named a Knight of the Legion of Honor that same year.

In 1876, he was appointed by the Geneva government to head the School of Industrial Fine Arts, where he demonstrated the highest standards of artistic and administrative ability and contributed significantly to the institution’s success.

In 1891, he was appointed a corresponding member of the Institut de France.

Among his works are La Prudence, a statue for the Paris Commercial Court (1865) – Henri IV, a plaster bust for the La Rochelle City Hall (1876) – Handel, a statue for the Opéra Garnier in Paris – Monument to H. B. de Saussure and de Balmat in Chamonix (1887) – Caryatidsat the Théâtre de Vaudeville in Paris (Folly, Comedy, Satire, Music) – Glory for the new Louvre Palace

The Spinner, bronze statue at the Luxembourg Gardens – Model of a statue of J. J. Rousseau at the Geneva Municipal Museum. He also created the fireplace in the lobby of the Geneva Theater.

In 1892, he published an illustrated volume: Between Two Strokes of the Chisel: Memoirs of a Sculptor.

He was the mentor of numerous sculptors, including Émile-Coriolan Guillemin, André Paul Arthur Massoulle, Jean-Louis Grégoire, Henri Lebossé, and Vincent Desiré Faure de Broussé (1876–1908).

Source: Bénézit

Awards:

Second-class medal in 1863.

Second-class medal in 1865.

Second-class medal at the 1867 World’s Fair.

Knight of the Legion of Honor in 1867.

Silver medal at the 1889 Paris World’s Fair.

Works in Museums and Public Spaces:

Angers, Museum of Fine Arts: The Titans, 1889, plaster; current location unknown.

The Titans, 1895, bronze bas-relief.

Chamonix: Monument to Saussure and Balmat, 1887, bronze group.

Clermont-Ferrand, Roger-Quilliot Art Museum: Hope, 1865, bronze.

Nérac, Castle Museum: Henry IV (plaster) exhibited at the Salon in 1876

Paris: Musée d’Orsay: The Spinner, 1863 Salon, bronze statue.

Opéra Garnier: Handel, 1887–1888, marble statue.

Roubaix, La Piscine: Handel, 1874, plaster statue, model for the marble statue at the Opéra Garnier.

Sold with invoice and certificate.

Bronze on view at our gallery in L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue (France) on weekends.

Free shipping within France.

Pricing available upon request for international shipping.

A1195