Brussels 2 December 1750 – Brussels 24 February 1835
A Pair of terracotta Reliefs with Musicianing Putti
Terracotta | Modelled in high relief
H. 20.3 cm. W. 25.4 cm.
PROVENANCE
Jacques Kugel | Paris | 2002
The Krehbiel collection | Chicago
REFERENCE LITERATURE
Devigne, M. (1928). Laurent Delvaux et ses élèves. Bruxelles/Paris, p. 98 and p. 114
Lennep, J. van (1992). Catalogue de la Sculpture. Artistes nés entre 1750 et 1882. Brussels: Musées royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique, p. 216
Xavier Duquenne, X. (2001). Le parc de Wespelaar. Le jardin anglais en Belgique au XVIIIe siècle. Bruxelles
CATALOGUE NOTE
A pair of terracotta plaquettes with allegorical scenes in deep relief depicting four playful cherubs with horns and scrolls seated upon clouds. Based on style and composition, this pair of plaquettes can be attributed to the originally Belgian sculptor Gilles-Lambert Godecharle (1750-1835). Godecharle was a sculptor from Brussels whose works display a pronounced classicist style. A student of Laurent Delvaux, he later moved to Paris. Under the protection of Governor Charles of Lorraine he was able to settle in Paris and Rome without issue. He subsequently travelled to London before returning to Belgium, where he took up the post of teacher and later director of the Brussels Academy. Godecharle was a very successful sculptor, receiving commissions from such august figures as Napoleon and William I of the Netherlands. Much of his oeuvre consists of busts, but he also made many plaquettes, including a series of allegories of the Months or Constellations. His works also include larger sculptures, which he usually created for public display. His sculptures can now be found in various collections including that of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Musées royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique (the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium) in Brussels and the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.