Important Sèvres Porcelain Bust of William Shakespeare by Albert Ernest Carrier Belleuse

An important biscuit porcelain bust dating from the 1880s depicting the playwright and poet William Shakespeare (1564-1616)¹, sculpted by Albert Ernest Carrier-Belleuse (1824-1887)².

The artist superbly represented this brilliant writer in a style that is both Baroque and Rococo, using the beautiful Sèvres porcelain.

Minor imperfections are visible: four chips on the base, and one chip in the left corner, both in front of and behind the base. However, this is to be expected for a sculpture weighing around 10 kg and having survived 130 to 140 years of history.
A patinated terracotta version from the same period was sold at auction on March 30, 2014, at SLG Enchères for €7,600 (excluding fees) and for €3,936 at Artcurial on December 5, 2022.
The base measures 14 cm x 14 cm.

Secure, armored packaging delivered by our partner MBE for:
France €60
Europe €90
Other countries €150
⊃1; William Shakespeare was an English playwright, poet, and actor, baptized on April 26, 1564, in Stratford-upon-Avon, and died on April 23, 1616, in the same town. Known as "the Bard of Avon," "the Immortal Bard," or simply "the Bard," he is considered one of the greatest English-language poets and playwrights. His work, translated into numerous languages, consists of 39 plays, 154 sonnets, and several additional poems, some of which are not definitively attributed to him.

Source: https://fr.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Shakespeare
Albert Ernest Carrier-Belleuse, highly regarded by Emperor Napoleon III, was acclaimed for his sumptuous and seductive sculpture, which combined elements of unrestrained realism with flourishes of Baroque and Rococo splendor.

He was one of the most prolific artists of the century and enjoyed his greatest successes under the Second Empire, benefiting from the personal patronage of Napoleon III. His work was greatly influenced by the Italian Renaissance style and by that of the 18th century, which he helped to revive. A student of David d'Angers, he exhibited at the Salon from 1851 onward, working in all genres and on all scales with remarkable inventiveness. He provided models of forms to English and Limoges ceramic manufacturers.

In 1875, Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse was appointed director of artistic works at the Sèvres Porcelain Manufactory. He instilled a thoroughly modern approach, manifested in the creation of a complete range of vases.
The new forms conceived by the sculptor, such as the Saigon Vase, the Fizen Vase, and the Mycenaean Vase, met with great success at the 1884 exhibitions of the Union Centrale des Arts Décoratifs.
In the field of sculpture, Carrier-Belleuse presented several new figures produced in biscuit porcelain: a Minerva, a bust of the Republic, a centerpiece entitled "The Return from the Hunt," and our example of the bust of William Shakespeare.

Source:
https://www.sevresciteceramique.fr/manufacture/les-artistes/artist/albert-ernest-carrier-belleuse.html

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