After Joseph Chinard

After JOSEPH CHINARD (Lyon, 1756-1913), early 20th century.
"Bust of Juliette Récamier".
White marble.
Measurements: 64 cm.

The sculpture in tender follows the model of the same by the French sculptor Joseph Chinard (Lyon, 1756 - 1813). Both sculptors show the lady with her head turned to the right while she covers her chest with a semi-transparent shawl that exposes one of her breasts. Her head looks delicately downwards, attesting to her affable and melancholic character.

Also immortalized by Jacques-Louis David, Juliette Récamier, the wife of a banker, was a remarkable character, famous for her beauty and intelligence, and for hosting a well-known gathering that brought together the likes of David himself and Chateaubriand. David portrayed the lady reclining on a divan, dressed in an empire waist dress that evokes the clothing of Greco-Roman antiquity, with her hair tied up in a simple bun, clearing her face, with delicate features.