After Jean Camus. Sèvres

After JEAN CAMUS (1877-1955). SÈVRES.
"Faun and maenad".
Biscuit.
Wooden pedestal.
Signed. With seal and inscription.
With damage to the biscuit base.
Measurements: 38 x 50 x 24,5 cm; 40 x 52 x 26,5 cm (with pedestal).

Sculptural group showing a nude maenad enraptured by the music of Pan's flute played by a faun. It is based on a model by Jean Camus and reproduced by Sèvres.

Born in Clermont-Ferrand, France, Camus studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris under Louis Barrias and Jules Coutan. From 1900, he exhibited regularly at the Salon des Artistes Français, where in 1931 he was awarded a gold medal "hors concours". In 1908, he also participated in the Salon des Artistes Coloniaux.

Originally founded in Vincennes in 1740, the Manufacture Nationale de Sèvres was transferred to this location in 1756. One of the main European porcelain factories, the Manufacture was successively named after different political regimes: royal, imperial and national manufactory. Still in activity today, the firm continues to edit the objects created since 1740, although its current production is largely oriented towards contemporary creation. The Manufacture de Vincennes was founded with the support of Louis XV and Madame de Pompadour, with the idea of creating pieces for the court and competing with the porcelain productions of Meissen and Chantilly. The new building in Sèvres, where the manufacture moved in 1756, was built on the initiative of Madame de Pompadour. Three years later, it became a royal factory. Among the innovations of this manufacture, in the 18th century, the colored backgrounds and the use of biscuit for small sculptures stand out. During the French Revolution, the factory suffered a decrease in production, but experienced a resurgence between 1800 and 1847 thanks to the direction of Alexandre Brongniart, who gave the factory international fame. During these years, many important technical innovations were made, and several contemporary artists collaborated with the manufacture. From the middle of the 19th century, the dominant styles were eclecticism and historicism, and some models recovered typologies of the past, such as the mannerism of Fontainebleau and the baroque of Versailles.