Circle of Denis Chaudet - Bust of Napoleon as Hermes - lost-wax bronze casting from the Empire period

Bust of Napoleon I, Emperor, as Hermes. Bronze with a dark brown patina, lost-wax casting, titled "Napoleon" on the front. Circle of Denis Chaudet (1763-1810) or his workshop. Empire period cast.

One month after the proclamation of the Empire, in Messidor of Year XII (1804), newspapers informed collectors that life-size plaster busts of the Emperor, modeled by Chaudet, were available. The artist had just modified his 1802 bust by removing the baldric and cloak to create the streamlined model of the bust of Napoleon as Hermes, which would become immensely popular. This effigy, although not officially commissioned, was a great success and was reproduced in plaster, bronze, Sèvres porcelain, and marble. Dominique Vivant Denon (1747-1825), the first director of the Musée Napoléon at the Louvre, commissioned the casting of approximately fifteen high-quality bronze busts in 1807 for high-ranking officials of the Empire. Following this prestigious series, it appears that casts of varying sizes were made as gifts for less important figures or for sale. Our bust belongs to this series of so-called "life-size" examples, of very high quality in casting and chasing, cast around 1810.

The bust of Napoleon as Hermes (a bust on a quadrangular pillar in the antique style) is a classic among collectors of the Empire period, and has been the subject of numerous casts of varying quality. Our bust is a genuine Empire-era cast, made using the lost-wax casting method and not a mechanical reproduction. It boasts a beautiful black patina, exquisitely fine chasing (evident in the details of the hair), and is a large, spectacular piece.

In very good condition, with a well-preserved and even patina.

Height: 48 cm

Ref: XB82HSGLEF