Wonders of sculpture (1873) (14596977409)

Identifier: wondersofsculptu00viarrich (find matches)
Title: Wonders of sculpture
Year: 1873 (1870s)
Authors: Viardot, Louis, 1800-1883
Subjects: Sculpture
Publisher: New York, Scribner, Armstrong, and Company
Contributing Library: University of California Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN



Text Appearing Before Image:
us power, when hesculptured the two celebrated painters ; the otherof unskilfulness or weakness, when he produced thebusts of the great ministers and the celebratedwriters. * It is a pity that there is no work in the Coysevoxroom by his rival Prancois Girardon (1630-1715), whom La Fontaine and Boileau, says Thore, compared to Pheidias, as Moliere compared Mig-nard to Raphael. It is true that Girardon paidcourt to Louis XIV. and Lebrun, and only pro-duced in marble the designs imposed on him bythe arrogant president of the Academy ; but for allthat the gigantic groups of Pluto carrying awayProserpine, and Apollo descending to Thetis, withwhich he adorned the gardens of Versailles, haveearned him a distinguished position amongst thesculptors of the reign of the grand monarque. 318 FRENCH SCULPTUBE. The third room is named after the brothersCoustou, Nicolas (1658-1735), and Guillaume(1678-1746). The former is the author of thegroup called the Junction of tlw. Seine and Marjie, ^■<:^
Text Appearing After Image:
Fig. 58.—Riding-Master of Marly.(Paris, Champs-Elysees.) in the Tuileries Garden ; and the latter of thefamous Eciiyers or Chevaux de Marly, now placed atthe entrance to the Champs Elysees. The works con-tained in this room would not alone have earned for FRENCH SCULPTURE. 31 y the Coustous the honour of naming it. On one sidewe have Louis XV^ as Jupiter, in Roman costume,and Queen Maria Leczinska, as Juno ; pretentiousfigures in bad taste, at once feeble and theatrical,