Jean Gullaume Moitte, Study of Bones, Etching, 1771

Details

Description

Study of bones is an etching realized by Jean Gullaume Moitte in 1771. It belongs to the suite "Histoire naturelle, … Read more Study of bones is an etching realized by Jean Gullaume Moitte in 1771. It belongs to the suite "Histoire naturelle, générale et particulière avec la du Cabinet du Roi". Paris: Imprimerie Royale, 1749-1771. 24 x 19,5 cm. Artist's signature engraved lower right. Good conditions, except yellowing due to time. Moitte ( 1746, Paris- 1810) 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 in 1768 with David carrying the head of Goliath in triumph. He then entered the École royale des élèves protégés before a stay at the Rome, though it was cut short due to illness. He worked for the king's goldsmith Auguste and participated in decorative works for monuments in capital. He was commissioned to produce sculptures of generals who had died in battle such as one of Custine for the musée de Versailles, the tomb of Louis Desaix at Grand Saint-Bernard or that of Leclerc at the Panthéon de Paris. He also designed and sculpted the pediment for the Panthéon during the French Revolution, with the theme of the Fatherland crowning the civil and heroic virtue. He was a member of the Institut de France, the Légion d'honneur and professor of the École des Beaux-Arts de Paris. This piece is attributed to the mentioned designer/maker. It has no attribution mark and no
official proof of authenticity,
however it is well documented in design history. I take full responsibility for any authenticity



issues arising from misattribution See less