This publication is the first major study of the French Neoclassical sculptor Augustin Pajou (1730-1809) in almost a century, and it is the only work about him in English. Here the artist's work is discussed and illustrated in depth, and the artistic, courtly, and aristocratic circles in which he worked are considered in detail. This examination concentrates on the beginnings of Neoclassicism and explores the philosophical and scientific underpinnings of the Enlightenment, in which Pajou played an important part.This publication, which accompanies a major exhibition at the Musee du Louvre, Paris, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, presents to both the scholar and the general reader a great artist who has at last received his due. The volume is lavishly illustrated and contains a detailed chronology, a short history of the artist's critical reputation, an exhaustive bibliography, and a complete index.

Augustin Pajou, Royal Sculptor

Arts & Photography

Scherf, Guilhem

Draper, James David

Individual Artists

Metropolitan Museum of Art

European sculptors of the Neoclassical period often modeled their works in clay before producing finished pieces in marble. These terracotta models are often more animated and revealing than the finished marbles and provide extraordinary insights into the creative process. This book offers the first comprehensive overview of Neoclassical terracotta models by European artists, featuring the works of Pajou, Houdon, and Canova, among many others. Leading scholars analyze modeling at every stage, from the brusque preliminary impulse to the highly finished statuette that is a work of art in its own right. They also comment on related issues: the model's role in the statuary of great men and in tomb sculpture; the sculptors' depictions of arcadia and the loves of the gods; the centering of activity in Rome, site of the collections of antiquities; and much more. Some 135 terracotta models are presented and reproduced, and short biographies of the artists are also included.

Playing with Fire: European Terracotta Models, 1740 to 1840

History & Criticism

The engraving of hardstones is a time-honored practice that goes back several millennia. The Greeks refined the art, and they introduced in about the fifth century b.c. what we now call cameos: precious and semiprecious stones carved in projected relief. As fanciful curiosities and as miraculous unions of art and nature, cameos have been prized and collected since ancient times. This book presents a selection of more than one hundred magnificently carved gems from the unparalleled collections of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The text traces the origins of cameos in classical antiquity, their rare occurrences in the Middle Ages, their efflorescence from the 16th to the 19th century, and their spread to the New World. 

Cameo Appearances

Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux (1827–1875) was an extraordinarily gifted sculptor―the greatest in 19th-century France before Rodin―and embodied the emotionally charged artistic climate of his era. The passionate Carpeaux comes alive in this handsome new publication. Carpeaux’s wrenching representations of human forms, shown in beautiful color details and illustrations, echo his turbulent personal life, fraught with episodes of violence and fatal illness. The book covers the entire span of Carpeaux’s career, and includes the masterpiece Ugolino and His Sons, newly discovered drawings, and a number of rarely seen or studied works. Previously unpublished letters between Carpeaux and his family and friends, a wealth of archival material, and the most detailed chronology of the artist’s life ever published make this book the definitive resource on the artist and his creations.

The Passions of Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux

Papet, Edouard

Bertoldo Di Giovanni, Sculptor of the Medici Household: Critical Reappraisal and Catalogue Raisonne

Univ of Missouri Pr

Augustin Pajou Royal Sculptor Royal 1730-1809.

Musée du Louvre

Metropolitan Museum Of Art (new York, N.y.)

Pajou, Augustin

Collections, Catalogs & Exhibitions

European sculptors of the Neoclassical period often modeled their works in clay before producing finished pieces in marble. These terracotta models are often more animated and revealing than the finished marbles and provide extraordinary insights into the creative process. This book offers the first comprehensive overview of Neoclassical terracotta models by European artists, featuring the works of Pajou, Houdon, and Canova, among many others. Leading scholars analyse modeling at every stage, from the brusque preliminary impulse to the highly finished statuette that is a work of art in its own right. They also comment on related issues: the model's role in the statuary of great men and in tomb sculpture; the sculptors' depictions of arcadia and the loves of the gods; the centering of activity in Rome, site of the collections of antiquities; and much more. Some 135 terracotta models are presented and reproduced, and short biographies of the artists are also included. This book is the catalogue for an exhibition that will be on view at the Musee du Louvre, Paris (September 15, 2003 to January 5, 2004); The Metropolitan Museum of Art (January 26 to April 23, 2004); and the Nationalmuseum, Stockholm (May 6 to August 29, 2004).

Playing With Fire: European Terracottas, 1740-1840

The Passions Of Jean-baptiste Carpeaux

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Books by Draper, James David