After Sigisbert-François Michel

After SIGISBERT-FRANÇOIS MICHEL (1728-1811), second half of the 19th century.
Patinated bronze; marble base "rouge griotte".
Measurements: 54 x 27 x 18 cm (total).

Patinated and chiseled bronze ewer, which rises on a square marble base. The tank presents a delicate decoration of vegetal motifs under classical scenes and cherubs. The upper third, fluted, has a handle of intertwined snakes joined by a ram's head under the spout.

Sigisbert-François Michel (1728-1811), son of the sculptor Thomas Michel and nephew of the sculptors Lambert Sigisbert and François Gaspard Adam, was trained in sculpture by his uncle Lambert after his father's death in 1751.

He won an academic prize as early as 1746 and began producing works in the 1750s, sometimes using the names of his more famous relatives to gain recognition. In 1764, he succeeded his uncle François Gaspard Adam as First Sculptor to the King of Prussia, completing his unfinished works. However, his troubled relations with King Frederick II led to his departure from Prussia in 1770 without receiving payment for his final works.

Back in Paris, he was admitted to the Academy of Saint-Luc and participated in its 1764 exhibition. In 1778, he tried unsuccessfully to obtain the position of restorer of the statues of Versailles and the Trianon. His prolific and varied production enjoyed popularity among the collectors of his time.