25 Inches High x 13 Inches Wide x 9 Inches Deep
Considered a masterpiece of Joseph Chinard’s (1756-1813) portrait sculptures, the artist clearly captures the acclaimed beauty of his sitter. Chinard likely sculpted the clay model in 1801 or 1802 when he visited the Récamier family in Paris. He later carved it in marble, and there are also versions in plaster, bronze, and terracotta. The marble bust is today in the collection of the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon, but originally it was given by Chinard to Juliette Récamier herself. Juliette Récamier (1777-1849) is famous for her salon that attracted political and literary figures during Napoleon’s rise after the French Revolution.
Artist: Joseph Chinard
Museum: Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon, Lyon, France
Time Period: Neoclassical, after 1801
1911 Catalog ID # – 5462
Sources:
“Bust of Madame Récamier.” RISD Museum, https://risdmuseum.org/art-design/collection/bust-madame-recamier-37201.
The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. “Madame de Récamier.” Encyclopædia Britannica, https:///collection/artist-info.6718.html.
“Juliette Récamier.” Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon, https://www.mba-lyon.fr/en/fiche-oeuvre/juliette-recamier.