The Art Lover - Paul Louis Detrier 1822–1897

Dimensions
Height: approx. 42 cm
Length: approx. 34 cm
Width: approx. 18 cm

Weight: 14.8 kg

Signature
Signed on the motif, on a sheet of paper protruding from the drawing board beneath the easel.

Title cartouche: Salon 1888, An Amateur

The sculpture bears the following dedication on either side of the cartouche:
Left side of the cartouche: Colonel de Bange / Construction at 3 Rue Sainte-Victoire
Right side of the title cartouche: To J. Leyendecker, Architect / Versailles 1894–1895

Slight irregularities in the patina on the back and on the right elbow.

This refined, delicate, and subtle group depicts a man leaning over a painting, a magnifying glass held to his eye, scrutinizing the canvas with an informed interest. A few sheets of drawing paper protrude from a sketchpad wedged between the legs of the easel. The art lover’s posture is well observed and focuses the scene’s attention on the subject.
This composition is now highly sought after by collectors, who see in it a nod to their own situation.

This sculpture is highly original—even unique in its genre—due to its theme, which had never before been explored in sculpture. Many paintings depict painters’ studios, the Salon itself, and cabinets of curiosities with their collectors, the first of its kind being Gersaint’s Sign, painted by Antoine WATTEAU in 1720. However, sculpture had never before depicted the theme of the art lover, in any era, not even that of Louis XVI.

First presented in plaster at the 1888 Salon, under number 4031, and bearing the simple title “An Amateur,” the statue received a courteous reception. Émile TASSEL, professor of descriptive geometry at the Université Libre de Bruxelles and a collector of Japanese artifacts**, acquired*** the bronze model, which was exhibited at the 1896 Salon under number 1399 and the now definitive title “The Art Lover, Louis XVI.”

The work was an immediate success. As a result, Colonel Charles Ragon de Bange acquired it. For several years—since 1889, to be precise—he had retired from business. Following a military career that took him from the École Polytechnique to the directorship of the precision workshop at the Dépôt Central in Paris—which he left in 1882—he was a Commander of the Legion of Honor. There, he had designed prototypes intended to modernize the artillery and replace the muzzle-loading bronze cannons of 1858.

To learn more: https://www.lestresorsdegamaliel.com/sculptures/495-l-amateur-d-art-paul-louis-detrier.html