JEAN-BAPTISTE CARPEAUX (1827–1875)
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Estimate €4,000 - €6,000

Description

JEAN-BAPTISTE CARPEAUX (1827–1875) ‘La Confidence’ Circa 1873 Original terracotta Bears the red wax stamp ‘PROPRIETE / CARPEAUX’ with the imperial eagle from the 1913 sale of the Carpeaux studio H. 16 cm, on a sea-green marble plinth H. 2 cm A small chip on the man’s shoulder Provenance: Probably lot 81 from the sale of the Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux studio on 8 December 1913. Related literature: Edouard Papet, James David Drapper, Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux (1827–1875), a sculptor for the Empire, exhibition catalogue, Paris, Musée d’Orsay, 24 June–28 September 2014, , Paris, co-published by the Musée d’Orsay and Gallimard, 2014, pp. 260–261; Michel Poletti, Alain Richarme, Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux, Sculptor. Catalogue raisonné of published works, Paris, Les Expressions contemporaines, 2003, bronze model listed under no. AN. EB 1, p. 178. Bibliography: J.-B. Carpeaux’s Studio. Catalogue of original sculptures by J.-B. Carpeaux, terracotta, plaster, bronze and marble works, Henri Baudouin, auctioneer, Paris: MM. Durand-Ruel & Fils: M. Manzi, 1913, probably lot 81, p. 32 Related works: -Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux, *La Confidence*, c. 1873, bronze, bearing the stamp ‘CIRE PERDU / J.-B. CARPEAUX’, H. 15 x W. 8 x D. 12.5 cm, Paris, Petit Palais, inv. PPS1580; -Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux, *La Confidence*, c. 1873, oil on canvas, bearing a stamp ‘JBC’, H. 117 x W. 115 cm, Paris, Petit Palais, inv. PPP3428; -Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux, *La Confidence*, 1873, original terracotta, H. 14.2 x W. 10.2 x D. 7.6 cm, Valenciennes, Museum of Fine Arts, inv. S.90.110; -Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux, *La Confidence*, 1873, plaster group, stamped ‘PROPRIETE CARPEAUX’, H. 97 x W. 60 x D. 55.5, Valenciennes, Museum of Fine Arts, inv. S.91.5. This rare and charming sketch depicts two figures: a young woman seated, her legs drawn up, on the lap of a man who is tenderly embracing her. Modelled directly in clay, the group offers an insight into Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux’s creative process. This composition can be compared to an oil on canvas entitled *La Confidence* and dated around 1873, held at the Petit Palais. It shares similarities with our sketch, notably a compact composition and a particularly intimate pose of the couple. According to Louise Clément-Carpeaux, the artist’s daughter, this painting was produced as part of the preparatory work for the group sculpture *Daphnis and Chloe*, commissioned in 1873 by Alexandre Barin, 4th Baron of Ashburton. Dated 1873, two other groups showing variations – one in terracotta and the other in plaster (held at the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Valenciennes) – can also be linked to this preparatory work for the *Daphnis and Chloe* group. Bearing the red wax stamp ‘PROPRIETE CARPEAUX’ with the imperial eagle, this terracotta sketch is probably the one sold as lot 81 at the auction of Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux’s studio held on 8 December 1913. From this original terracotta sketch, a few plaster copies and at least two bronze casts were produced by the sculptor’s family prior to 1913. One of these bronzes is held in the collections of the Petit Palais in Paris. EXPERT: LACROIX – JEANNEST.

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About the sale "SALE OF THE ENTIRE FURNISHINGS OF A PRIVATE MANSION" and various other items

Auction location

Auction time 10/20/2026 at 11:15 AM

Lot description modified on 09/30/2026 at 12:01 PM

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JEAN-BAPTISTE CARPEAUX (1827–1875) See original version (French)

JEAN-BAPTISTE CARPEAUX (1827–1875)
See original version (French)