Waxes by the Deveria brothers reunited at the Musée d’Orléans

28/11/24 - Acquisition - Orléans, Musée des Beaux-Arts - At the sale on 22 November 2024, the Oger-Blanchet auction house offered one of the very rare surviving waxes by David d’Angers, preparatory to one of the medallions in his famous Galerie des Grands Hommes. Representing the painter Eugène Devéria (ill. 1), it naturally aroused the interest of the Musée des Beaux-Arts d’Orléans [1] who was able to preempt it for the very reasonable sum of €4,894.40 including costs. The museum already owned the preparatory wax for the medallion by Achille Devéria, acquired at the Talabardon et Gautier cher Ader sale on 23 March 2023 (read article). The two brothers, who shared the same workshop, are thus once again reunited.

1. Pierre-Jean David, dit David d’Angers (1788-1856)
Portrait d’Eugène Devéria de profil
Cire rouge sur plaque d’ardoise, 12 x 10 cm
Musée des Beaux-Arts, Orléans
Photo : Oger-Blanchet

See the image in its page

This type of object is characteristic of David d’Angers’s working method from the moment he began to produce portraits of men and women who had played a leading role in the political, artistic or literary spheres. On small slate slabs, easily transportable, the sculptor modelled in wax, much more rarely in clay, the profiles of those who had aroused his interest and proved themselves worthy of entry into this portable Pantheon. "They see me, with my little running slate, as if I were going to see immortality up close" wrote the artist in his Carnets in 1830 [2]. Made in front of the model, during an interview, or from drawings or engravings, the number of these portraits is difficult to quantify: the figure of 500 is often mentioned, and sometimes much more, depending on the source. Unfortunately, very few wax portraits have survived the passage of time. Made from such a fragile material, sensitive to variations in temperature and impact, it’s always a thrill to come face to face with these objects bearing the mark of the…