Jean-Baptiste Auguste Clésinger

JEAN-BAPTISTE AUGUSTE CLÉSINGER (Besançon, 1814 – Paris, 1883).
“Zíngara” (Neapolitan Dancer), 1858 model.
Patinated bronze.
Signed, dated, and located “J. CLESINGER / Rome 1858” on the torso. Foundry mark “F. BARBEDIENNE. FONDEUR” on the base.
In good overall condition for its age.
Reference bibliography: Florence Rionnet, *Les bronzes Barbedienne, l’œuvre d’une dynastie de fondeurs (1834–1954)*, Arthena, Paris, 2016, cat. 553, p. 292.
Measurements: 104 x 44 x 32 cm.

“Zingara” is one of the most representative works by Auguste Clésinger, a prominent 19th-century French sculptor, and a magnificent expression of the dynamism and sensuality that characterized Second Empire sculpture. Conceived during his stay in Rome in 1858 and originally presented in marble at the 1859 Paris Salon, the work depicts a Neapolitan dancer in full motion, with one arm raised holding a tambourine and the other tracing a sinuous gesture above her head. The composition stands out for its extraordinary vitality, achieved through the body’s contrapposto, the upward movement of the arms, and the billowing of the garments, whose complex undulations contrast with the smooth, naturalistic rendering of the anatomy. The modeling of the folds, the delicacy of the embellishments, and the balance of a seemingly unstable posture demonstrate the sculptor’s technical virtuosity.

The work reflects the Romantic interest in Italian folk types and the search for an expressiveness that transcends more conventional academic approaches. The richness of its modeling and its dynamic conception caught the attention of contemporary critics, including Théophile Gautier and Charles Baudelaire. The model was cast in bronze by the prestigious Ferdinand Barbedienne foundry, one of the leading French firms specializing in the production of sculptures during the 19th century. A larger version belongs to the collections of the Musée d’Orsay and is currently on loan to the Musée Salies in Bagnères-de-Bigorre.

Jean-Baptiste Auguste Clésinger began his training under his father, the sculptor Georges-Philippe Clésinger, and later studied with Bertel Thorvaldsen in Rome. He gained prominence at the 1847 Salon with “Femme piquée par un serpent,” now in the Musée d’Orsay, whose formal audacity and realism sparked intense artistic debate. His body of work, centered on the human figure and especially on the representation of women, combines classical tradition with a marked Romantic sensibility. His works can be found in institutions such as the Musée d’Orsay, the Petit Palais in Paris, and the Musée des Beaux-Arts et d’Archéologie in Besançon.