Lot 75
[Washington, George] Original Terracotta Bust in Uniform by Corbet, c. 1798, 21½ x 19 in, on a white marble base. French sculptor Charles-Louis Corbet (1758-1808) trained in Douai and then in Paris with Pierre-François Berruer. He exhibited regularly from 1782 to 1790 at the Salon organized by the Lille Académie. In 1798 he was commissioned by the revolutionary government to portray General Bonaparte from life. The bust, which was exhibited at the Salon in July 1798, is one of the few to portray Bonaparte before his coup. Busts made by Corbet include Louis XVI, the composers Gluck, and Grétry, and allegories such as Voltaire and Death.
In a magazine article in American Collector, included with this lot, the curator of sculpture at the Louvre says that Corbet had to have visited Houdon's studio to have been able to make this likeness. Legend has it that Lafayette gave this bust to relatives in New York when he returned to the United States (July 1724-September 1825) for his triumphal tour. Ex Claude Harkins Collection. Purchased from an antique dealer in Georgetown in the 1990s.
Estimated Value $20,000 - 25,000
|
| |
| Realized $28,800 |
