Description:

IMPORTANT SIGNED & DATED FRENCH SCULPTURE, 1766
JEAN-BAPTISTE LEMOYNE THE YOUNGER (French 1704-1778)
Venus Ridding a Dolphin -1766
Terracotta
Incised and dated on base, "Lemoine 1766"
Length 13.25 inches (33.5cm), Height 10.25 inches (26cm)

Provenance:
Private collection, Des Moines, Iowa USA

The offered lot would appear to be a heretofore unrecorded work by noted French sculptor Jean Baptiste Lemoyne (1704-1778). A specialist in modeling in terra cotta, the offered work is fluidly, sensitively and finely sculpted in full round with detailed crisp modeling throughout and an even overall patina consistent with its age. In his book, A Dynasty of Sculptors in the 18th century, the Lemoyne Family, Les Beaux-arts, édition d'études et de documents, 1927, author Louis Réau (1881-1961) writes that of all the mythological figures, Lemoyne's favorite subjects were Venus and Apollo. Although the offered lot does not seem to appear in his work.

Interestingly, the offered lot is very similar to a terra cotta of the same subject presumably modeled by French sculptor Simon Louis Boizot (1743-1809) and as copied by Fernand Cian (1886-1954) which is inscribed "Boizot 1780."

The French sculptor Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne came from a distinguished family of sculptors. He worked in both the rococo and neoclassical style and made monumental statuary for the Gardens of Versailles but was probably best known for his expressive portrait busts.

Born in Paris in 1704, his father Jean-Louis Lemoyne, was also a sculptor, and was his first teacher. He later became a student of another prominent sculptor, Robert Le Lorrain. He is sometimes referred to as Jean-Baptiste II Lemoyne or "the younger" to distinguish him from his uncle of the same name, another sculptor, Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne the Elder.

He received the prix de Rome awarded by the Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture, but remained in Paris to aid his blind father. He became a member of the Academy in 1838, and later became its director. He was a particular favorite of Madame de Pompadour, the mistress of the King and an important patron of the arts. He made a graceful rococo sculpture of Vertumnus and Pomone, two characters from the Metamorphoses of Ovid, (now in the Louvre) which was a favorite theme of Madame Pompadour. He made several busts of Louis XV, and an equestrian statue of the King for the courtyard of the new Ecole Militaire, which was destroyed during the French Revolution. In the eyes of many critics, he is considered one of the most skilled of the French rococo sculptors.

  • Condition: Important Notice: The absence of condition information in the description does not imply that the lot is in perfect condition, a condition report is available by request.

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April 29, 2026 9:00 AM CDT
Cedar Falls, IA, US

Jackson's International

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