Napoléon III (1808–1873), Emperor of the French
Medium
Marble
Dimensions
Overall (confirmed): 20 1/2 x 14 1/2 x 11 3/8 in. (52.1 x 36.8 x 28.9 cm)
Classification
Sculpture
Culture
French, Paris
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Anne and George Blumenthal Fund, Munsey and Fletcher Funds, funds from various donors, Agnes Shewan Rizzo Bequest and Mrs. Peter Oliver Gift, 1974
Accession Number
1974.297
Tags
Art Historical Context
This striking marble bust of Napoléon III, Emperor of the French (1808–1873), the visage of the last monarch to rule France, sculpted by Jean-Baptiste Carpe in the very year of the emperor's death. Carpeaux, a leading artist of the Second Empire, renowned for his dynamic realism and emotional expressiveness, blending neoclassical precision with romantic vitality. Created in Paris, this 20½ × 14½ × 11⅜-inch work exemplifies the era's grand portrait tradition, where sculpture served as both personal memorial and political statement. Dated 1873, the bust arrived amid the turmoil following France...
About the Artist
Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux · 1827–1875
Carpeaux's exuberant work was a decisive break from Neoclassical art. He won the Prix de Rome in 1854 and received many portrait bust commissions from the court. His most famous sculpture group is 'La Danse' (1869) made for the Paris Opéra. So bold is its message of bacchanalian revelry that it was vandalized in protest. French artist.