Jules Desbois (1851-1935) - Lot 407

Jules Desbois (1851-1935) Portrait of sculptor Louis Sureau (active in the late 19th/early 20th century) Medallion in whitewashed plaster Signed "J. Desbois" and dedicated "A mon ami Louis Sureau" around the rim Dated "Juillet 1871" on reverse Height 44 cm. Width : 38 cm. Surface wear, a few small cracks, dirt and a few small chips on the border. Related literature: -Jocelyn, Mercier, Jules Desbois : illustre statuaire angevin, Editions du Vieux-Logis, 1978 ; -Raymond Huard, Pierre Maillot, Jules Desbois, sculpteur 1851-1935, Paris, le Cherche-Midi éditeur, 2000; -Florian Stalder, Jules Desbois: l'élan dans le marbre, Nantes, Editions 303, 2023. Dedicated and dated July 1871, this plaster medallion depicts Louis Sureau, probably a fellow student of Jules Desbois in the sculpture workshop at the École des Beaux-Arts in Angers, and who later exhibited at the Salon des Artistes Français in 1891 and 1892. For this portrait, whose profile blends naturalism and spontaneity, the young sculptor was inspired by David d'Angers, initiator of the "medallion portrait", whose personal pantheon is preserved by the city of Angers. This work is a touching testimony to Jules Desbois' training and difficult beginnings. After completing his training, he met Auguste Rodin and worked with him from 1884 to 1914. Desbois then moved away from his initial academicism to develop a more modern and personal aesthetic language. A versatile artist, he excelled in monumental sculpture, decorative arts and portraiture.