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344 - Pierre-Jules CAVELIER (1814-1894).
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Estimate €10,000 - €15,000
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Description
Pierre-Jules CAVELIER (1814-1894). The City of Paris offers the Emperor and Empress the Imperial Prince's cradle Preparatory model for the medal commemorating the birth of the Imperial Prince; Pair of plaster medallions D. 50.5 cm Exhibition Purple and Exile: the Aiglon (1811-1832) and the Imperial Prince (1856-1879), Compiègne, Musée national du Château, 25 November 2004 -7 March 2005, n°153. Biographies : The birth of the son of Emperor Napoleon III and Empress Eugénie on 16 March 1856 gave rise to a series of events and artistic productions to celebrate the event. On 1 August 1856, at the request of Prefect Haussmann, the City of Paris decided to mint a medal commemorating the birth of the Imperial Prince and the presentation of his cradle, donated by the City and now housed in the Musée Carnavalet. By a decree dated 25 September, Jules Cavelier, one of the most eminent sculptors of his time, was chosen for the commission. The obverse shows an allegorical composition in which the child lies on a cushion on which rests the Grand Cordon of the Legion of Honour. The whole is supported by an eagle with outstretched wings, while the figures of Victory and Abundance watch over the infant. The reverse shows the cradle, beneath which are the coat of arms and motto of the City of Paris. Our work is one of a series designed to pay tribute to the heir to the Empire by highlighting his dynastic role. From his birth, an iconography designed to legitimise his future power was put in place. This ranged from the allegorical medal celebrating his birth to his first official portrait, inspired by Winterhalter's model, in which he appears in his mother's arms. However, a version in which the framing is tightly focused on the child tends to make him appear to be the real subject of the composition. As in our work, he is already wearing the Legion of Honour, underlining his vocation to reign. He is therefore not just the child of the imperial couple, but already embodies the future of the dynasty and the nation. The son of painter and draughtsman Adrien Louis Marie Cavelier, Pierre-Jules Cavelier studied at the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Paris, where he was admitted on 2 April 1831. He studied under the sculptor David d'Angers and the painter Paul Delaroche. In 1842, he was awarded the Prix de Rome for sculpture for a work in plaster representing Diomedes taking the Palladium. He stayed at the Villa Medici from 1843 to 1847 as a boarder. On his return to France, the works he exhibited at the Salon met with great success. He won a first-class medal and then the medal of honour, confirming his place as one of the most important sculptors of his generation. He then received numerous public commissions, including several sculptures to adorn the façades of the Louvre. While many of his works were acquired by the State at the Salons, a study of his booklets also reveals the particular attachment he enjoyed among members of the imperial family. Napoleon III was one of his main supporters: several works presented at the Salon, such as La Vérité, were marked "M. de l'Empereur", indicating that they belonged to the Crown and were destined for the imperial palaces. Other pieces were acquired by prominent members of the Bonaparte clan. This was particularly true of the marble statue of Napoleon the Lawgiver, exhibited at the Salon in 1861 and then owned by Prince Napoleon. A plaster model of this work is now in the collections of the Château de Versailles. Appointed professor at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris in 1864, Cavelier contributed to the training of many artists while pursuing a particularly fruitful career. On 29 July 1865, he was elected a member of the Académie des Beaux-Arts, a major recognition of his contribution to nineteenth-century academic sculpture. He was made an officer of the Légion d'honneur, and was also a member of the Société des Artistes français, of which he was vice-president at the end of his life. Related works: Jules Cavelier and André Vauthier-Gallé, La Ville de Paris offre à l'Empereur et à l'Impératrice le berceau du Prince impérial, 1856, two-sided bronze medal, struck, D. 7.7 cm, Paris, Musée d'Orsay, Inv. MEDOR 161 2. -Victor Baltard, Berceau du Prince impérial Louis-Napoléon (1856-1879), rosewood, silver, vermeil, gilt bronze, enamels, dim. 214 x 159 x 65 cm, Paris, Musée Carnaval
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About the sale The Empire at Fontainebleau - Second day
Auction location
Auction time 06/21/2026 at 10:30 AM
Lot description modified on 06/10/2026 at 10:08 AM
Pictures credits:
Michel Bury and Henri du Cray
See original version (French)
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