Pierre Joseph Chardigny

PIERRE JOSEPH CHARDIGNY (Aix-en-Provence, 1794 - Paris, 1866).
"Pair of busts of Pierre Corneille & Jean Racine", France, 1854.
Gilded bronze and "verde antico" marble pedestals.
Signed and dated: "Chardigny fecit 1854".
Measurements: 23 cm (x2); 7 x 15 x 13,5 cm (pedestals, x2).

This pair of bronze sculptures stands out for the elegant use of gilding, as well as an accurate chiseling that accentuates the features of those represented. The representations of outstanding playwrights of the French 17th century were a constant, especially during the Second Empire, where the exaltation of great local figures prevailed under the birth of a national pride.

Pierre Corneille, along with Jean Racine (and Molière), were the three great French playwrights of the 17th century. The first, during his youth, obtained the patronage of Richelieu, with whom he would end up at odds as a result of his best-known play, "Le Cid", for violating the Aristotelian unities. Racine, on the other hand, stood out for the quality of his poetry, being especially skilled in the use of Alexandrine verse, although he also failed to escape the criticism of his contemporaries, who accused him of lacking historical veracity.