Joseph Villermé

JOSEPH VILLERMÉ (Saint-Claude 1660 - Rome, c. 1720).
"Christ crucified".
Bronze.
Signed on the back of the purity cloth.
Measurements: 37,5 x 12 x 4 cm; 62,5 x 24 cm (cross).
This bronze sculpture of Christ still alive has been firmly attributed to the master craftsman Joseph Villermé. He was born in 1660 in Saint-Claude. The polished finish of the material, the symmetry and the modelling of the forms, which follow the classical canon of a balanced and idealised anatomy, form an image which, despite the drama of the theme of the crucifixion, conveys an immutable beauty which stems from the aesthetic serenity with which the sculptor conceived the work.

Villermé studied with Charles Le Brun working in Paris at the Gobelins for a few years before travelling to Rome, where he remained until his death around 1720, an engraving of his portrait in 1723 leading to conjecture that his death may have occurred three years later.
Known for his piety and humility, Villermé came to devote his working life entirely to carving crucifixes in ivory or wood. This unique approach produced evocative and highly detailed works of the most sublime realism and beauty. So dedicated to understanding how the body hangs attached to the cross, to the flow and movement and to communicating the experience of crucifixion, the sculptor conducted numerous studies and clandestine experiments with suspended corpses. According to Pierre-Jean Mariette (op. cit.), a leading art historian, renowned connoisseur and biographer of French, Italian and Flemish artists, who knew Villermé, this obsession with summarising details and conveying the truth almost cost the sculptor his life. After obtaining a corpse from a hospital, Villermé did not take sufficient precautions to protect himself against the virulent infection that had killed the man. Villermé recovered to continue to live an austere life, comforted by his faith and dedicated to a subspecialty that provided him with an edifying but financially unrewarding career. According to Dubus (op. cit.), the Marquis de Chennevieres, who published Pierre-Jean Mariette's manuscript notes, declared that, of all the great sculptors of Versailles, the Gobelins and even Rome, none had succeeded better in translating the art and faith of his century and his country than Villermé. It is said that several crucifixes by the master entered the collection of the Marquis Pallavicini, who furnished an entire gallery with the sculptor's work. However, few documented examples of Villermé's work have come to light.