After Louis Charles Hippolyte Buhot

After LOUIS CHARLES HIPPOLYTE BUHOT (France, 1815-1865); 20th century.
"Allegory of motherhood".
Patinated calamine and Belgian marble base.
Signed "Buhot".
Measurements: 48 x 28 x 25 cm.
The main figure, a seated mother, holds her child with an almost ceremonial delicacy. The modeling is soft, with subtle transitions between light and shadow that enhance the gesture. The treatment of the folds of the dress recalls the neoclassical influence: they fall naturally, but maintain a very studied compositional order. The mother's face does not express dramatism but is idealized, in the line of 19th century French academic sculpture.
The piece follows the models of Louis-Charles-Hippolyte Buhot, who from a very young age showed an inclination for the arts, which led him to enter the prestigious Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris when he was only seventeen years old. There he trained under the tutelage of David d'Angers, one of the most influential sculptors of his time. From 1837, Buhot began to exhibit regularly at the Paris Salon, the main artistic showcase of the time. His constant presence at this annual event cemented his reputation as an academic sculptor, faithful to traditional values. Throughout his career, he developed a body of work centered on allegorical subjects, portraits and scenes of an intimate nature, such as maternities, where he managed to combine idealization and humanity. Although he did not achieve the fame of some of his contemporaries, his production clearly reflects the spirit of 19th century French sculpture.