Child’s Bust, Aimé-Jules DALOU (1838–1902)

This child’s bust illustrates Dalou’s consummate art in the intimate portrait.
The supple modeling of the skin, the deeply curling hair, and the dreamy tilt of the head reveal an observation imbued with tenderness and truth. Far from academic idealizations, the artist here captures the immediacy of childhood with an almost modern sincerity.

The place of this model within Dalou’s oeuvre is confirmed by the preservation of examples at the Petit Palais, Musée des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris:

a terracotta version (inv. PPS287, between 1877 and 1890), a direct testimony of the initial sketch,

and a marble version (inv. PPS288, dated 1890), reflecting the artist’s desire to magnify this motif in a noble material.

Our bronze example, cast by Hébrard and set on a veined marble base, belongs to this lineage while offering a different reading: the brown patina enhances the play of light on the face and lends the sculpture a particular emotional depth.

This Bust of a Young Boy thus stands out for the quality of its casting and its refined presentation, making it a rare testimony to Dalou’s intimate vein, complementary to his great Republican works.

Dimensions of the sculpture: 31 × 26 × 11.5 cm
Base: 11 × 30 × 16 cm
Total height: 42 cm