Victor Sappey (11 February 1801,

Grenoble lat, Gratianopolis , commune status = Prefecture and commune , image = Panorama grenoble.png , image size = , caption = From upper left: Panorama of the city, Grenoble’s cable cars, place Saint- ...

- 23 March 1856), also known as Pierre-Victor Sappey, was a French sculptor.

Career

In 1824, Sappey worked in Rogge's workshop in Paris before living in

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

for two years with his friend

Jean Achard Jean Alexis Achard () (1807–1884) was a French painter. Biography Born in Voreppe, Isère, into a farming family, Jean Alexis Achard was self-taught and started his career as a clerk for a lawyer. He began his apprenticeship by copying pai ...

and a group of St. Simonians. He was among the first sculptors to use cement as a sculptural material. This can be seen in the statue "Génie des Alpes" in

Uriage-les-Bains Uriage-les-Bains (or ''Uriage'') is a spa town in France, at above sea level. Uriage is attached to the communes of Saint-Martin-d'Uriage and Vaulnaveys-le-Haut and is located in the department of Isère, beneath the ski resort of Chamrousse ...

; though the original was destroyed, a model is kept at

Musée dauphinois The ''Musée dauphinois'' (Dauphinois Museum), located in Grenoble (France), is dedicated to the ethnography, archaeology, history and society of the former province of the Dauphiné. Situated above the neighbourhood of Saint-Laurent in the listed ...

. Sappey was professor and later director at the École des Beaux-Arts de Grenoble. In addition to his sculptures, Sappey was also known for his caricatures.

Personal life

Sappey was a friend of Théodore Ravanat and

Henri Fantin-Latour Henri Fantin-Latour (14 January 1836 – 25 August 1904) was a French painter and lithographer best known for his flower paintings and group portraits of Parisian artists and writers. Biography He was born Ignace Henri Jean Théodore Fantin-La ...

, and was close to all members of the École dauphinoise that he attended in Proveysieux. He was also the father-in-law of the Grenoble sculptor

Aimé Charles Irvoy Aimé Charles Irvoy (25 November 1824 in Vendôme, Loir-et-Cher – 28 March 1898 in Grenoble, Isère) was a French sculptor who lived and worked in Grenoble. He was the pupil of Étienne-Jules Ramey, Auguste Dumont and Victor Sappey. In 185 ...

(1824–1898), who had once been his student. His father was a stonemason.

Selected works

In Grenoble, France

* "Le Drac" -

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 ...

, 1833. It was named after the Drac. The

Museum of Grenoble The Museum of Grenoble (french: Musée de Grenoble) is a municipal museum of Fine Arts and antiquities in the city of Grenoble in the Isère region of France. Located on the left bank of the Isère River, place Lavalette, it is known both for it ...

purchased it in 1856. * "Fontaine des dauphins" - stone. Also known as "Château d'eau de la Valette," this was erected as a tribute to former Grenoble mayor Marquis de Lavalette. Nadon created the fountain while Sappey created the cherubs and dolphins. * "Le serpent et le dragon" - stone and bronze, 1843. This fountain, located near the Saint-Laurent Bridge, was created following severe flooding. The lion symbolizes the city defeating the snake, or the Isère River. * Alexandre Michal-Ladichèr - plaster, 1836. Acquired by the

in 1885. * Self-portrait - terra cotta. At the

. *

Jacques de Vaucanson Jacques de Vaucanson (; February 24, 1709 – November 21, 1782) was a French inventor and artist who built the first all-metal lathe which was very important to the Industrial Revolution. The lathe is known as the mother of machine tools, as i ...

- plaster. Bust. At the

. * "L'Enfant au poisson; La Pêche" - marble, 1849. At the

. * "L'Isère" - terra cotta, 1835. Statuette. At the

. * "La Mort de Lucrèce" - plaster, 1828. High-relief. At the

. * "Le Géant des Alpes" - cement. statue. This was destroyed but the

has a model. * Louis-Joseph Vicat - 1855. Bust. At the

. * Monument to General Marchand - 1851. Tombstone. At

Saint Roch Cemetery Saint Roch Cemetery (french: Cimetière Saint-Roch) is the first municipal cemetery in the city of Grenoble, France. It was blessed by the bishop of Grenoble Claude Simon on 19 August 1810.According to web site of Association Saint-Roch ! Vous a ...

. * Monument to Mrs Recoura - marble, 1855. Tombstone. At

. Image:Fontaine au lion - Grenoble - 2017-09-20.jpg, Le serpent et le dragon Image:Grenoble - La Fontaine du Lion 2.jpg, Le serpent et le dragon Image:Chateau d'eau, place Grenette - Grenoble.JPG, Fontaine des dauphins Image:Grenoble - Ange grenette.JPG, Fontaine des dauphins Image:Victor Sappey - Mort de Lucrèce.jpg, Mort de Lucrèce Image:Le Drac by Victor Sappey-MG 449-IMG 1174-black.jpg, Le Drac

Elsewhere

Chambéry Chambéry (, , ; Arpitan: ''Chambèri'') is the prefecture of the Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of eastern France. The population of the commune of Chambéry was 58,917 as of 2019, while the population of the Chamb ...

: "Fontaine des éléphants" - bronze and cast iron, 1838. This was erected in honour of General

Benoît de Boigne Benoît Leborgne (24 March 175121 June 1830), better known as Count Benoît de Boigne or General Count de Boigne, was a military adventurer from the Duchy of Savoy, who made his fortune and name in India with the Marathas. He was also named presid ...

, a generous donor to the town, and specifically references his achievements in India. *

: "Fontaine de la nymphe" - stone, 1847. Also known as "Fontaine de la déesse Hygie." Depicts the goddess

Hygieia Hygieia is a goddess from Greek, as well as Roman, mythology (also referred to as: Hygiea or Hygeia; ; grc, Ὑγιεία or , la, Hygēa or ). Hygieia is a goddess of health ( el, ὑγίεια – ''hugieia''), cleanliness and hygiene. Her ...

. *

Valence, Drôme Valence (, ; oc, Valença ) is a commune in southeastern France, the prefecture of the Drôme department and within the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. It is situated on the left bank of the Rhône, about south of Lyon, along the railway line ...

: Statue

Jean-Étienne Championnet Jean-Étienne Vachier Championnet (), also known as Championnet (13 April 1762, Alixan, Drôme – 9 January 1800), led a Republican French division in many important battles during the French Revolutionary Wars. He became commander-in-chief ...

- bronze, 1848. The monument was restored in 2002. *

Voreppe Voreppe () is a commune in the Isère department in southeastern France. It is part of the Grenoble urban unit (agglomeration).1801 births 1856 deaths Artists from Grenoble 19th-century French sculptors French male sculptors 19th-century French male artists