Auguste-Marie Taunay (1768–1824) was a French sculptor.

Early years

Auguste-Marie Taunay was born in Paris in 1768. He studied sculpture under

Jean Guillaume Moitte Jean-Guillaume Moitte (11 November 1746, Paris – 2 May 1810, Paris) was a French sculptor. Life Moitte was the son of Pierre-Etienne Moitte. He became the sculptor of Pigalle then Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne. He won the Prix de Rome for sculpture ...

(1746–1810) at the ''

École des Beaux-Arts École des Beaux-Arts (; ) refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The term is associated with the Beaux-Arts style in architecture and city planning that thrived in France and other countries during the late nineteenth century ...

'' in Paris. At the age of 24 he was awarded the first prize for Sculpture, the '' Prix de Rome'', on 1 September 1792 for a bas-relief. Due to the turmoil of the early phases of the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

(1789–1799) he did not travel to Rome. He worked as a sculptor at the Manufacture nationale de Sèvres, a porcelain works, from 1802 to 1807. He decorated the

Louvre Palace The Louvre Palace (french: link=no, Palais du Louvre, ), often referred to simply as the Louvre, is an iconic French palace located on the Rive Droite, Right Bank of the Seine in Paris, occupying a vast expanse of land between the Tuileries Ga ...

stairway and made a statue of ''The Cuirassier'' (1807) for the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel. Between 1808 and 1814 he exhibited in several

Salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments * French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home * Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment Arts and entertainment * Salon (P ...

s. He made a well-known statue of

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

with his arms crossed.

Brazil

Taunay was a member of the ''

Missão Artística Francesa The French Artistic Mission in Brazil ( pt, Missão Artística Francesa) was a group of French artists and architects that came to Rio de Janeiro, then the capital city of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves, in March 1816, u ...

'' (French Artistic Mission) organized by Joachim Lebreton which brought a group of artists to Brazil, arriving on 25 March 1816. These included the painter

Jean-Baptiste Debret Jean-Baptiste Debret (; 18 April 1768 – 28 June 1848) was a French painter, who produced many valuable lithographs depicting the people of Brazil. Debret won the second prize at the 1798 Salon des Beaux Arts. Biography Debret studied at th ...

(1768-1848), Auguste's brother the painter Nicolas Antoine Taunay (1755-1830), the engraver

Charles-Simon Pradier Charles-Simon Pradier (1786 – 21 July 1847) was a Swiss engraver who also worked in France and Brazil. He was recognized as one of the leading engravers of his day. He collaborated with Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres on several works. Life Charl ...

(1786-1847)), the sculptor Marc Ferrez (1788-1850), his brother the engraver

Zepherin Ferrez Zéphyrin Ferrez (or Zepherin Ferrez; 31 July 1797 – 22 July 1851) was a French sculptor and engraver who spent much of his career in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Early years Zepherin Ferrez was born in Saint-Laurent, France in 1797. In 1810 he ...

(1797-1851) and the architect

Auguste-Henri-Victor Grandjean de Montigny Auguste-Henri-Victor Grandjean de Montigny (15 July 1776 – 2 March 1850) was a French architect who had considerable influence on the development of architecture in Brazil. Early years Auguste-Henri-Victor Grandjean de Montigny was born on 15 J ...

(1776-1850). They were to form the nucleus of a royal art academy in Brazil. The arrival of the French group caused some controversy among the local Portuguese intelligentsia, who were concerned at the excessive influence being given to the French in developing the cultural life of Brazil. In turn, the French were unhappy with political appointments such as the appointment of Henrique José da Silva as head of the school in place of Lebreton. This was the reason why Tauney's brother, Nicholas Antoine Taunay, returned to France. Taunay was appointed professor of sculpture at the Imperial Academy of Fine Arts in Rio, but did not take up the post. In 1818 he worked with Grandjean de Montigny and Debret on the decorations of the Largo do Paço for the celebrations of the accession of King

John VI of Portugal , house = Braganza , father = Peter III of Portugal , mother = Maria I of Portugal , birth_date = , birth_place = Queluz Palace, Queluz, Portugal , death_date = , death_place = Bemposta Palace, Lisbon, Portugal , ...

. For this he made a sculpture of ''Minerva protecting the Bust of the Monarch with her Aegis''. He made a plaster bust of Luís de Camões, now held by the Brazilian Historical and Geographical Institute in Rio de Janeiro. Taunay died in Rio de Janeiro in 1824.

Works

The best-known works of Taunay include: *Jean-Baptiste Muiron, chef de battalion (1774-1796), marble bust, in the Palace of Versailles *Antoine-Louis-Charles, comte de Lasalle-général (1775-1809), marble sculpture, 1st Empire period (1804-1814) (height ), in the Palace of Versailles *Bust of Antoine-Louis-Charles, Earl Lasalle, General Division (1775-1809), modeled in plaster, in the Palace of Versailles *Decoration of the Escalier du Midi in the Louvre *Decoration of the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel File:Antoine-Louis-Charles.jpg,

Antoine Charles Louis de Lasalle Antoine-Charles-Louis, Comte de Lasalle (10 May 1775, Metz6 July 1809, Wagram) was a French cavalry general during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, often called "The Hussar General". He first gained fame for his role in the Capitulation ...

, French cavalry General during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars known as “The Hussar General" File:Arc de triomphe du carrousel frontispice.jpg, Upper frieze with sculptures of soldiers: Taunay's cuirassier (left), Corbet's dragoon,

Joseph Chinard Joseph Chinard (Lyon, 12 February 1756 — Lyon 20 June 1813) was a French sculptor who worked in a Neoclassical style that was infused with naturalism and sentiment. Life He received his early training in Lyon, as a painter, in the government-s ...

's horse grenadier and

Jacques-Edme Dumont Jacques-Edme Dumont (April 10, 1761 in Paris – February 21, 1844 in Paris) was a French sculptor. Dumont came from a dynasty of sculptors that included his great-grandfather Pierre Dumont, grandfather François Dumont, father Edme Dumont and ...

's sapper. File:Arc de triomphe du carrousel-paris.jpg, General view of the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel

References

Sources

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Taunay, Auguste-Marie 1768 births 1824 deaths 18th-century French sculptors French male sculptors 19th-century French sculptors 19th-century French male artists 18th-century French male artists