Alphonse-amédée Cordonnier - Bust Of

Originally from the Lille region, Alphonse-Amédée Cordonnier began his training as a sculptor at the Academic Schools of Lille, training he continued at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris in the workshops of Auguste Dumont then Gabriel-Jules Thomas. After having been a resident of the Jean-Baptiste Wicar Foundation in Rome for 4 years, Cordonnier returned to the Eternal City after winning the Rome Prize for sculpture in 1877 with "The Head and Lyre of Orpheus found by fishermen". He will stay at the Villa Medici from 1878 to 1881.

He exhibited in 1875 at the Salon of French artists where he won a 3rd class medal then a 2nd in 1876 and a 1st medal in 1883. He is the author of the Haut- allegorical relief of La Musique, on the left side of the facade of the Lille opera house.

First linked to the movement of neo-baroque sculpture for its statuettes whose style recalls that of the Middle Ages (see his bust of Lady Bérangère), at the end of the 19th century, he turned towards a naturalist vein, that of Constantin Meunier , with many sculptures with a marked social character, such as "Le Semeur" kept at the La Piscine museum in Roubaix.

His works are present in many public collections: Musée d'Orsay, Palais des Beaux-Arts de Lille, Musée de Picardie d Amiens…

Our head of "Condottière" is presented to the public at the La Piscine museum, the Musée d'Art et d. 'Industry André Diligent.
Light brown glazed stoneware.
Proof signed "A. Cordonnier" and dated 1887.
It bears the Sèvres stamp and the initials "LR".