*the Sleep Of Bacchus* By Charles Vital-cornu

Charles Vital-Cornu (1851–1927) was a French sculptor with a very rich artistic career.
A student of Isidore Pils, Eugène Delaplanche, and François Jouffroy, he began by winning a first-class gold medal at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, followed by an “Honorable Mention” for his first entry at the Salon in 1889.
He received numerous awards from the Société des Artistes Français, including in 1886 for “Les Belles Vendanges,” which earned him a second-class medal before his work was classified as “Hors Concours.”
He won a bronze medal at the 1889 World’s Fair and a silver medal at the 1900 World’s Fair.
He was named a Knight of the Legion of Honor in 1896.
About twenty of his works are in the public collections of the National Museums and in public squares and gardens in various cities: the Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay, the Palais Galiéra, the Palace of Versailles, the BNF, Parc Monceau, etc.
The work presented here is made of solid pewter, signed with a stylus by Vital-Cornu, and double-signed by the foundry SUSSE Frères éditeur—with a stylus signature on the work itself and a stamp dated 1896 on the underside.