Entourage of Denis CHAUDET (1763-1810) - Lot 222

Entourage of Denis CHAUDET (1763-1810) Napoleon Hermes bronze bust. Titled Napoleon on the front. H. 48 cm A month after the proclamation of the Empire, in Messidor of Year XII, newspapers announced to enthusiasts that that life-size plaster busts of the Emperor, modeled by Chaudet, were available. The artist had just modified his 1802 bust by removing his harness and cloak to create the refined bust of Napoleon as Hermes Napoleon as Hermes, which was to be a huge success. Although not officially commissioned, this effigy met with great success and was reproduced in plaster in plaster, bronze, Sèvres cookie and marble. Dominique Vivant Denon (1747-1825), first director of the of the Musée Napoléon in the Louvre, had some fifteen high-quality bronzes cast in 1807 for the dignitaries of the Empire. Following on from this prestigious series, it would appear that proofs of various sizes were made as gifts for less important figures, or for sale. Our bust is one of a series of "medium-size" examples of very high quality casting and chasing, cast around 1810.