Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse (born Albert-Ernest Carrier de Belleuse; 12 June 1824 – 4 June 1887) was a French

sculptor Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

. He was one of the founding members of the

Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts (SNBA; ; en, National Society of Fine Arts) was the term under which two groups of French artists united, the first for some exhibitions in the early 1860s, the second since 1890 for annual exhibitions. 1862 Es ...

, and was made an officer of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

Early life

Carrier-Belleuse was born on 12 June 1824 at Anizy-le-Château, Aisne,

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. He began his training as a goldsmith's apprentice. Carrier-Belleuse was a student of

David d'Angers Pierre-Jean David (12 March 1788 – 4 January 1856) was a French sculptor, medalist and active freemason.Initiated in ""Le Père de famille"" Lodge in Angers He adopted the name David d'Angers, following his entry into the studio of the painter ...

and briefly studied 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 centur ...

. His career is distinguished by his versatility and his work outside France: in England between 1850 and 1855 (working for

Mintons Mintons was a major company in Staffordshire pottery, "Europe's leading ceramic factory during the Victorian era", an independent business from 1793 to 1968. It was a leader in ceramic design, working in a number of different ceramic bodies, ...

), and in Brussels around 1871. His name is perhaps best known because Auguste Rodin worked as his assistant between 1864 and 1870. The two travelled to

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

in 1871, and by some accounts Rodin assisted Carrier-Belleuse's architectural sculpture for the Brussels Stock Exchange.

Career

BACCHANTE by Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse (1860) - (5217558781) (2)

Carrier-Belleuse made many

terra cotta Terracotta, terra cotta, or terra-cotta (; ; ), in its material sense as an earthenware substrate, is a clay-based unglazed or glazed ceramic where the fired body is porous. In applied art, craft, construction, and architecture, terracotta ...

pieces, the most famous of which may be '' The Abduction of Hippodameia'' depicting the Greek mythological scene of a centaur kidnapping Hippodameia on her wedding day. He was made artistic director at the

Manufacture nationale de Sèvres The ''Manufacture nationale de Sèvres'' is one of the principal European porcelain factories. It is located in Sèvres, Hauts-de-Seine, France. It is the continuation of Vincennes porcelain, founded in 1740, which moved to Sèvres in 1756. It ...

in 1876.

Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts

In 1862 Carrier-Belleuse was one of the founding members of the

, and was made an officer of the

Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

. The bronzes he executed prior to 1868 were always signed "Carrier" or "A. Carrier", but after 1868 his signature was changed to "Carrier-Belleuse".

Artistic style

His work encompassed all manner of sculptural subjects and materials, and his naturalism incorporated a breadth of styles: unembellished Realism, neo- Baroque exuberance, and

Rococo Rococo (, also ), less commonly Roccoco or Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and theatrical style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpted moulding, ...

elegance.

Family

His sons were the painters Louis-Robert Carrier-Belleuse (1848-1913) and Pierre Carrier-Belleuse (1851-1932).

Death and legacy

Carrier-Belleuse died on 4 June 1887 at

Sèvres Sèvres (, ) is a commune in the southwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris, in the Hauts-de-Seine department, Île-de-France region. The commune, which had a population of 23,251 as of 2018, is known for ...

, France.

Works of art

* Pediment sculpture of ''Abundance'',

Pavillon de Flore The Pavillon de Flore, part of the Palais du Louvre in Paris, France, stands at the southwest end of the Louvre, near the Pont Royal. It was originally constructed in 1607–1610, during the reign of Henry IV, as the corner pavilion between ...

, South façade of the Great Galerie, Louvre palace, Paris, circa 1863 * Caryatids themed on the four seasons,

Vichy Vichy (, ; ; oc, Vichèi, link=no, ) is a city in the Allier department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of central France, in the historic province of Bourbonnais. It is a spa and resort town and in World War II was the capital of ...

Opera, for architect Charles Badger, 1865 * Architectural sculpture for the Tribunal de commerce de Paris (Commercial Court of Paris), on the

Île de la Cité Île de la Cité (; English: City Island) is an island in the river Seine in the center of Paris. In the 4th century, it was the site of the fortress of the Roman governor. In 508, Clovis I, the first King of the Franks, established his palace ...

, for architect

Antoine-Nicolas Bailly Antoine-Nicolas Louis Bailly (6 June 1810 – 1 January 1892) was a French architect. Life Born in Paris as the son of a postal official and the eldest of eleven children, Bailly entered the ''atelier'' of architect François Debret and ...

, completed 1865 * A silvered bronze chimney-piece for the Hôtel de la Païva, Paris, 1866''The Grove encyclopedia of decorative arts'', Volume 1 By Gordon Campbell * Monument to

André Masséna André Masséna, Prince of Essling, Duke of Rivoli (born Andrea Massena; 6 May 1758 – 4 April 1817) was a French military commander during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars.Donald D. Horward, ed., trans, annotated, The Fre ...

, Nice, 1869 * Architectural work at the Brussels Stock Exchange, Brussels, circa 1870 * ''Mary Queen of Scots'', Private Collection, ca. 1870 * Two elaborate multifigure torchères for the base of grand staircase, Palais Garnier (Paris Opera), Pairs, 1873 * Tomb of Belgian photographer Louis Ghémar, Laeken Cemetery, Brussels, 1873Encyclopedia of nineteenth-century photography, Volume 1 By John Hannavy * Architectural work for the

Théâtre de la Renaissance The name Théâtre de la Renaissance has been used successively for three distinct Parisian theatre companies. The first two companies, which were short-lived enterprises in the 19th century, used the Salle Ventadour, now an office building on t ...

, Paris, for architect Charles de Lalande, 1873 * ''Sea Nymph'' for the fountain at the Place du Theâtre-Français, Paris, for architect

Gabriel Davioud Jean-Antoine-Gabriel Davioud (; 30 October 1824 – 6 April 1881) was a French architect. He worked closely with Baron Haussmann on the transformation of Paris under Napoleon III during the Second Empire. Davioud is remembered for his contribution ...

, 1874 * Bust of Aimée-Olympe Desclée for her tomb, 1874 * Four Seasons fountain, Hotel de Ville,

Fleurance Fleurance (; oc, Florença) is a commune in the Gers department in southwestern France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and terr ...

* Mausoleum of

José de San Martín José Francisco de San Martín y Matorras (25 February 177817 August 1850), known simply as José de San Martín () or '' the Liberator of Argentina, Chile and Peru'', was an Argentine general and the primary leader of the southern and centr ...

, Buenos Aires Metropolitan Cathedral, Buenos Aires * Equestrian statue of

Mihai Viteazul Michael the Brave ( ro, Mihai Viteazul or ; 1558 – 9 August 1601), born as Mihai Pătrașcu, was the Prince of Wallachia (as Michael II, 1593 – 1601), Prince of Moldavia (1600) and ''de facto'' ruler of Transylvania (1599 – 1600). ...

, University Square,

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...

, Romania * Equestrian statue of

Manuel Belgrano Manuel José Joaquín del Corazón de Jesús Belgrano y González (3 June 1770 – 20 June 1820), usually referred to as Manuel Belgrano (), was an Argentine public servant, economist, lawyer, politician, journalist, and military leader. He ...

, Plaza de Mayo Square,

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

, Argentina * Equestrian statue of

Bernardo O'Higgins Bernardo O'Higgins Riquelme (; August 20, 1778 – October 24, 1842) was a Chilean independence leader who freed Chile from Spanish rule in the Chilean War of Independence. He was a wealthy landowner of Basque-Spanish and Irish ancestry. Alth ...

, Alameda,

Santiago de Chile Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whose ...

, Chile * Statue for the victims of the La Compañía fire, originally at the place of the fire, today in front of the General Cemetery in

, Chile

Gallery

File:Rodin Carrie-Belleuse p1070142.jpg, Bust of Carrier-Belleuse by Auguste Rodin File:Mihai Viteazul statue.jpg, Equestrian statue of

File:Marie Carrier-Belleuse.jpg, ''Marie Carrier-Belleuse'', 1859, Musée d'Orsay File:Albert carrier-belleuse, busto di donna con diadema, 1860-70 ca.JPG, ''Bust of a Woman with a Diadem'', c. 1860–1870, Musée d'Orsay File:Harmonie, Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse, Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten Gent, 1965-J.jpg, ''Harmony'', Museum of Fine Arts, Ghent File:Hebe Endormie (1869) (2178243996).jpg, ''Hebe asleep,'' c. 1869, Musée d'Orsay File:Léda et le cygne par Carrier-Belleuse.jpg, ''Leda and the Swan'', c. 1870,

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...

File:Longchamp205a Carrier Psyché.jpg, ''Psyche'', 1872 File:Sea nymph Carrier-Belleuse.jpg, ''Sea Nymph'' from a fountain on the Place du Théâtre-Français, Paris, 1874

References

External links

* The R.W. Norton Art Gallery
Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse's Biography
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Carrier-Belleuse, Albert-Ernest 1824 births 1887 deaths People from Aisne 19th-century French painters French male painters French architectural sculptors Officiers of the Légion d'honneur 19th-century French sculptors French male sculptors 19th-century French male artists