Albert Ernest Carrier

ALBERT-ERNEST CARRIER DE BELLEUSE (1824-1887).
"The Birth of Venus", c. 1870.
Bronze with gold and brown patina.
DENIERE Foundry.
Signed "A.Carrier Belleuse".
Measurements: 92 x 33 x 27 cm.
The fine treatment of the face and the precise execution of the drapery of this young woman testifies to the mastery of Albert Carrier Belleuse in sculptural plastics. At the base, we can appreciate the presence of a veil indicating that it is the representation of Venus, in particular the moment of her birth.
Albert-Ernest Carrier de Belleuse, known as Carrier-Belleuse (1824-1887), was one of the most prolific artists of the 20th century and achieved his greatest success during the Second Empire, benefiting from the personal support of Napoleon III. His work was deeply influenced by the Italian Renaissance and 18th century styles, which he helped to revive.
In 1837, the young Carrier-Belleuse began his apprenticeship in the workshop of the chiseler Bauchery. He was soon admitted to the workshop of the goldsmith Jacques Henri Fauconnier. Through François Arago, he met the sculptor David d'Angers, who facilitated his admission to the École des Beaux-Arts. Carrier-Belleuse joined the company in 1840. Recognized for his skill in the great bronze firms of Paris, such as Barbedienne and Denière, he soon received numerous commissions for models for candelabra, clocks, mantelpieces and other objects. In 1848, probably on the initiative of François Arago, who had become head of state, he received his first public commission: a small statue of Mademoiselle Rachel singing La Marseillaise. In 1851, he appeared for the first time at the Salon des Artistes Français, where he presented two bronze medallions. From 1851 to 1855, Carrier-Belleuse remained in England, in Stoke-on-Trent, where he directed the modeling and drawing school of Mintons, an important porcelain manufacturer.
Returning to France, Carrier-Belleuse settled in Paris in a spacious studio at 15 rue de la Tour d'Auvergne. From 1857, he sent works regularly to the Salon and achieved renown thanks to the success of his large marble works, such as the Bacchante, exhibited at the 1863 Salon and acquired by Napoleon III, Angelica (1866) and Sleeping Hebe (1869). At the 1867 Salon, his group entitled The Messiah won him the Medal of Honor for Sculpture. It was acquired by the French State to adorn the Chapel of the Virgin in the Church of St. Vincent de Paul.

Carrier-Belleuse also achieved great renown for his terracotta busts, which, in many ways, are reminiscent of those of 18th century artists. He painted portraits of many celebrities of his time. He created, among others, busts of Napoleon III, Renan, Thiers, Grévy, Arago, Marguerite Bellanger, Théophile Gautier, Honoré Daumier, Delacroix, Hortense Schneider, Réjane and others. He also modeled numerous mythologically inspired busts and a series of historical and artistic portraits of Mary Stuart, Shakespeare, and Mozart.Carrier-Belleuse employed and trained numerous talented young artists in his studio on Rue de la Tour d'Auvergne, including Alexandre Falguière, Jules Desbois, Eugène Delaplanche, Jules Dalou, and Joseph Chéret; but he is best known for mentoring Auguste Rodin, who joined his studio as an artist in 1864.
Carrier-Belleuse devoted much of his time to decorative sculpture. He contributed to the decoration of numerous important buildings. He is notably responsible for the caryatids of the Renaissance Theater, the pediment of the main entrance to the Bank of France, the stucco ceilings of the Lesdiguières and La Trémoïlle pavilions of the Louvre, the frieze of the Palais de la Bourse in Brussels, and the decoration of the Hôtel de la Païva on the Champs-Elysées in Paris. He also received government commissions for monuments: those of Jean-Jacques Rousseau in Montmorency, Alexandre Dumas in Villers-Cotterêts and Masséna in Nice. Abroad, he created the equestrian statue of Michael the Brave in Bucharest and the tomb of José de San Martín in Buenos Aires.
In 1873, Carrier-Belleuse participated in the construction of the Paris Opera House, directed by his friend Charles Garnier. He created the two monumental torches flanking the grand staircase of the main hall and the caryatids of the fireplace in the grand foyer. In 1875, he was appointed director of artistic works at the Manufacture de Sèvres. He brought a thoroughly modern approach to the factory, which manifested itself in the creation of a complete range of vases.