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Estimate €1,500 - €2,500
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Description
[Boulangism] Georges Boulanger (1837–1891), by Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse (1824–1887) Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse (1824–1887) Terracotta bust of General Boulanger Signed in cursive on the back: A. Carrier-Belleuse Resting on a circular plinth c. 1886–1887 Height: 74 cm; Width: 44 cm The bust modelled by Carrier-Belleuse depicts General Boulanger from the front, in full divisional dress, wearing a general’s bicorne hat adorned with a cockade and an imposing plume of feathers. He wears numerous decorations on his chest, including the Grand Officer’s plaque and the ribbon of the Legion of Honour. This unique piece, with its richly and finely chiselled decoration, belonged to General Boulanger’s daughter. The bust was probably commissioned in 1886 by General Boulanger, whilst he was Minister of War from 7 January 1886 to 18 May 1887. The Parisian press reports that Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse presented two versions of this bust at the Salon in April 1887, one in bronze and the other in marble. The Musée de Bretagne in Rennes holds a version of this bust in biscuit porcelain, produced by the Manufacture nationale de Sèvres. As director of artistic works at the Sèvres Manufactory (1875–1887), Carrier-Belleuse used his original terracotta models to create biscuit porcelain editions. Whilst the bronze and marble versions were intended for the official splendour of the Salon, and the biscuit version for the luxury ‘industrial’ edition by Sèvres, the terracotta remains a direct testament to Carrier-Belleuse’s artistic touch on this portrait, one of the very last of his career. The artist expressed a particular fondness for this material, which ‘preserves the warmth of thought’.
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Auction time 10/08/2026 at 2:00 PM
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