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an image of a statue of a woman holding a childa statue of a woman holding a baby in her armsstatue of a man and a woman embracing each other on a pedestalstatue of a woman holding a child in her armsan image of a statue of a woman holding a childstatue of a woman holding a child in her armsa statue of a man and a woman sitting on a benchstatue of a woman in a dress with a shaw around her neck
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CONAN BELLEVILLE Hôtel d’Ainay

195 - Clémence-Sophie De Sermézy (1767–1850)
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Estimate €3,000 - €4,000
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Description
Clémence-Sophie De Sermézy (1767–1850) ‘Consolation’, also known as ‘The Duchess of Berry mourning the death of her august husband’, in the arms of Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Angoulême. Original terracotta. Bears the inscription “after 13 February 1820” on the reverse of the base; bears a recent mark below reading “Cortot”. H. 24.5 cm – L. 14 cm – W. 10 cm. Provenance: Former collection of Maurice Delorme, Lyon; Giquello et Associés auction of 14 December 2021, lot 120, private collection Related literature: Claire Barbillon, Catherine Chevillot, Stéphane Paccoud, Ludmila Virassamynaïken, Sculptures from the 17th to the 20th Century: Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon, Paris, Somogy, 2017, pp. 148–159. Bibliography: Anne Tapissier, Madame de Sermézy. A Pupil of Chinard, Lyon, Audin, 1936; our group is illustrated on p. 65 and listed under no. 87 on p. 68 A victim of her royalist friendships, the Lyon-based sculptor Clémence-Sophie de Sermézy saw her studio ransacked in 1815 by soldiers of the Army of the Alps, and a large part of her body of work destroyed. Having become an associate member of the Académie de Lyon in September 1819, she finally exhibited her works at a single public exhibition in 1827 at Lyon Town Hall. Our terracotta piece bearing the inscription ‘13 February 1820’ bears witness to her steadfast political convictions: this date marks the assassination of the Duke of Berry, Charles Ferdinand d’Artois, nephew of King Louis XVIII and potential heir to the French throne. Here, the artist depicts a grieving woman, comforted by another, in a style steeped in the Neoclassicism of her teacher, Joseph Chinard. Having been traumatised by the destruction of all her works, the sculptor undoubtedly chose not to sign or title this terracotta piece – which is a veritable royalist manifesto – as she usually did, for fear of reprisals. The catalogue published by Anne Tapissier in 1936 illustrates it and describes it as follows: “The Duchess of Berry mourning the death of her august husband, in the arms of Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Angoulême”.
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About the sale COLLECTION BELONGING TO AN ENTHUSIAST FROM LYON AND ELSEWHERE: Jewellery and Watches – Furniture and Works of Art
Auction location
Auction time 10/08/2026 at 2:30 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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