Benvenuto cellini, ninfa di fontainebleau, 1542-43 ca

The ''Nymph of Fontainebleau'' (french: Nymphe de Fontainebleau), also known as the ''Nymph of Anet'' (french: Nymphe d'Anet, link=no) or the ''Nymph with the Stag'' (french: Nymphe au cerf, link=no), is a 1543

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids such ...

relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that the ...

(Paris,

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...

, MR 1706), created by the Italian sculptor

Benvenuto Cellini Benvenuto Cellini (, ; 3 November 150013 February 1571) was an Italian goldsmith, sculptor, and author. His best-known extant works include the ''Cellini Salt Cellar'', the sculpture of ''Perseus with the Head of Medusa'', and his autobiography ...

for the

Château de Fontainebleau Palace of Fontainebleau (; ) or Château de Fontainebleau, located southeast of the center of Paris, in the commune of Fontainebleau, is one of the largest French royal châteaux. The medieval castle and subsequent palace served as a residence f ...

in France. It features a long-limbed reclining

nude Nudity is the state of being in which a human is without clothing. The loss of body hair was one of the physical characteristics that marked the biological evolution of modern humans from their hominin ancestors. Adaptations related to h ...

female nymph with a

stag Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the reindeer ...

wild boars The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a Suidae, suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The speci ...

dogs The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it is derived from the extinct Pleistocene wolf, and the modern wolf is the dog's nearest living relative. Do ...

, and other animals. It was Cellini's first large scale

bronze casting Lost-wax casting (also called "investment casting", "precision casting", or ''cire perdue'' which has been adopted into English from the French, ) is the process by which a duplicate metal sculpture (often silver, gold, brass, or bronze) is ...

History

The sculpture was commissioned by

François I Francis I (french: François Ier; frm, Francoys; 12 September 1494 – 31 March 1547) was King of France from 1515 until his death in 1547. He was the son of Charles, Count of Angoulême, and Louise of Savoy. He succeeded his first cousin once ...

, executed in Cellini's workshop at the Hôtel de Nesle (adjacent to the

Tour de Nesle The Tour de Nesle () was one of the four large guard towers on the old city wall of Paris, constructed at the beginning of the 13th century by Philip II of France and demolished in 1665. The tower was situated on the left (south) bank of the S ...

) in Paris, sculpted with the help of Thomas Dambry, Pierre Bontemps and Laurent Mailleu, and assembled with the help of

foundrymen A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal into a mold, and removing the mold material after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals pr ...

Pierre Villain and Guillaume Saligot. Originally intended to be placed in the tympanum in the arch above the entrance of the Porte Dorée ("Golden Gate") at the

, it was never installed there, but instead was used by the architect

Philibert de L'Orme Philibert de l'Orme () (3-9 June 1514 – 8 January 1570) was a French architect and writer, and one of the great masters of French Renaissance architecture. His surname is also written De l'Orme, de L'Orme, or Delorme. Biography Early care ...

, who put it above the entrance gate (built ) of the

Château d'Anet The Château d'Anet is a château near Dreux, in the Eure-et-Loir department in northern France, built by Philibert de l'Orme from 1547 to 1552 for Diane de Poitiers, the mistress of Henry II of France. It was built on the former château at the ...

, where the nymph became identified with Diana, the goddess of the hunt, representing the owner of the château,

Diane de Poitiers Diane de Poitiers (9 January 1500 – 25 April 1566) was a French noblewoman and prominent courtier. She wielded much power and influence as King Henry II's royal mistress and adviser until his death. Her position increased her wealth and family' ...

, and the stag with her lover

Henri II of France Henry II (french: Henri II; 31 March 1519 – 10 July 1559) was King of France from 31 March 1547 until his death in 1559. The second son of Francis I and Duchess Claude of Brittany, he became Dauphin of France upon the death of his elder broth ...

. The relief was seized on 23 March 1794, at the time 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 ...

, and moved from Anet to the Nesle depot. According to the French historian , it was initially intended for the Musée des Monuments Français in Paris and was later replaced in Anet by a painted plaster cast.Roy 1929, p. 303. On 23 February 1796, the Conservatoire des Arts decided it should be moved to the small courtyard of the

, but in 1797, when it was actually moved to the Louvre, it was placed in the gallery of the museum. After the sculpture's restoration in 1811 by the father and son founder-

chasers ''Chasers'' is a 1994 American comedy film directed by Dennis Hopper. It is about a pair of United States Navy shore patrollers (SPs) (Tom Berenger and William McNamara) who must escort a beautiful prisoner (Erika Eleniak), and the troubles they ...

(French: '' ciseleurs'') Delafontaine, it was installed by the architect Pierre-François Fontaine over the Caryatides Balcony in the Salle des

Caryatides A caryatid ( or or ; grc, Καρυᾶτις, pl. ) is a sculpted female figure serving as an architectural support taking the place of a column or a pillar supporting an entablature on her head. The Greek term ''karyatides'' literally means "ma ...

of the Lescot Wing, where it remained until 1847, when it was replaced with a cast by

Antoine-Louis Barye Antoine-Louis Barye (24 September 179525 June 1875) was a Romantic French sculptor most famous for his work as an ''animalier'', a sculptor of animals. His son and student was the known sculptor Alfred Barye. Biography Born in Paris, France, B ...

and transferred to the Sculptures rooms. It was later moved to a landing of the Mollien Staircase above the ground floor of the Denon Wing of the Louvre, but according to the Louvre website is not currently on display. File:Château d'Anet - Anet - Eure-et-Loir - France - Mérimée PA00096955 (4).jpg, Replica at the

File:Chateau Anet - portail.jpg, Long view showing its location above the entrance gate at Anet File:Fontainebleau Nymph - Moulding in salle des Caryatides.jpg, Replica in the Salle des Caryatides of the Louvre File:Paris Palais du Louvre Salle des Caryatides 02a.jpg, Long view showing the ''Nymph'' above the balcony supported by the four

caryatids A caryatid ( or or ; grc, Καρυᾶτις, pl. ) is a sculpted female figure serving as an architectural support taking the place of a column or a pillar supporting an entablature on her head. The Greek term ''karyatides'' literally means "ma ...

sculpted by

Jean Goujon Jean Goujon (c. 1510 – c. 1565)Thirion, Jacques (1996). "Goujon, Jean" in ''The Dictionary of Art'', edited by Jane Turner; vol. 13, pp. 225–227. London: Macmillan. Reprinted 1998 with minor corrections: . was a French Renaissance sculpt ...

File:Escalier Mollien (Louvre) - rez-de-chaussée vers premier étage.jpg, Long view showing its location on the Mollien Stairs of the

File:Benvenuto cellini, ninfa di fontainebleau, 1542-43 ca. 04.JPG, Close-up view of the original bronze by Cellini

Notes

Bibliography

* Babelon, Jean-Pierre (1989). ''Châteaux de France au siècle de la Renaissance''. Paris: Picard. . * Dunlop, Ian (1996). ''The Companion Guide to The Country Round Paris''. Rochester: New York. . Originally published 1979 as ''The Companion Guide to the Ile de France''. Revised paperback edition 1986. Reissued 1996. * Nova, Alessandro (1996)
"Cellini, Benvenuto"
vol. 6, pp. 139–150, in ''The Dictionary of Art'', 34 volumes, edited by Jane Turner. New York: Grove. . Also at

Oxford Art Online Oxford Art Online is an Oxford University Press online gateway into art research, which was launched in 2008. It provides access to several online art reference works, including Grove Art Online (originally published in 1996 in a print version, ''T ...

. * Roy, Maurice (1929). ''Artistes et monuments de la Renaissance en France. Richesses nouvelles et documents inédits / I. - 1re partie.''. Paris: Librairie ancienne Honoré Champion. . * Wheeler, Daniel (1979). ''The Chateaux of France''. London: Octopus Books. . {{Authority control 1540s sculptures Sculptures by Benvenuto Cellini Reliefs in France Sculptures of dogs Deer in art Pigs in art Italian sculptures of the Louvre

History

See also

Notes

Bibliography