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ID #SA1243559
FOR SALE
£4,500
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Large Alabaster Napoleon Bust After Chaudet
For sale by Cella
for sale €5,265     $5,715
£4,500
Cella

Cella

Sellingantiques Verified Since May 2019
Browse dealers 79 items
  • About Us
    Specialists in the grand tour and french decorative objects, clocks and furniture, circa 1780-1880.
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Id #SA1243559
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Large Alabaster Napoleon Bust After Chaudet

19th century
For Sale by Cella
Description

A rare, large size, early 19th century French Empire period alabaster bust of Napoleon after Antoine-Denis Chaudet (1763-1810). Fine quality, classic composition, bare headed 'herm form'. Chaudet's original plaster model of this portrait of Napoleon was created in 1799 with the final marble version completed in 1804. Adopted as the official portrait of Napoleon it was widely disseminated throughout the Empire. 1200 versions were known to be carved by the workshop between 1807 and 1809, though many were later destroyed on the orders of the restored Bourbon Monarchy in 1814. Other examples include one that can be seen in the Grand Salon of the Empress’s Apartment at the Château de Compiègne, the Victoria & Albert Museum in London and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Signed Canova on obverse.

Date of Manufacture

Cella has dated this Carved Alabaster Napoleon Bust to the 19th Century.

Physical Dimensions
Height
40cm (15.75")
Width
23.5cm (9.25")
Depth
17cm (6.69")
Reference Numbers
Sellingantiques Reference
SA1243559
Dealers Internal Reference
CA409
Dealers Notes

Based in London, we are dealers in fine decorative antiques from the 18th and 19th centuries. We specialise in this era of enlightenment, neoclassicism and the Grand Tour, with its far reaching influence on style and taste in Britain, Continental Europe and beyond: elegance in the age of Napoleon. Our extensive stock covers all aspects of this period and decorative antiques influenced by the period. We constantly source new, beautiful items and upload to our site regularly. We are first and foremost antique collectors with over thirty years of experience; we only buy what we love and we hope you will too. Additional images can be supplied on request. More items are available on our website http://www.cellantiques.co.uk. We ship worldwide.

Description
A rare, large size, early 19th century French Empire period alabaster bust of Napoleon after Antoine-Denis Chaudet (1763-1810). Fine quality, classic composition, bare headed 'herm form'.
“
Chaudet's original plaster model of this portrait of Napoleon was created in 1799 with the final marble version completed in 1804.
Cella

Adopted as the official portrait of Napoleon it was widely disseminated throughout the Empire. 1200 versions were known to be carved by the workshop between 1807 and 1809, though many were later destroyed on the orders of the restored Bourbon Monarchy in 1814. Other examples include one that can be seen in the Grand Salon of the Empress’s Apartment at the Château de Compiègne, the Victoria & Albert Museum in London and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Signed Canova on obverse.

Date of Manufacture

Cella has dated this Carved Alabaster Napoleon Bust to the 19th Century.

Height
40cm (15.75")
Width
23.5cm (9.25")
Depth
17cm (6.69")
Reference Numbers
Sellingantiques Ref
SA1243559
Dealers Internal Ref
CA409
Cella
Cella
Sellingantiques verified Since May 2019

Specialists in the grand tour and french decorative objects, clocks and furniture, circa 1780-1880.

Dealer Profile

You can view the stock and full dealer information on the Cella Profile Page

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A carved cream alabaster portrait bust depicting Napoleon Bonaparte in the Neoclassical style on a square base.
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Archive I A carved cream alabaster portrait bust depicting Napoleon Bonaparte in the Neoclassical style on a square base.

Large Alabaster Napoleon Bust After Chaudet

Archive II A carved cream alabaster portrait bust depicting Napoleon Bonaparte in the Neoclassical style on a square base. View II
Archive III A carved cream alabaster portrait bust depicting Napoleon Bonaparte in the Neoclassical style on a square base. View III
Archive IV A carved cream alabaster portrait bust depicting Napoleon Bonaparte in the Neoclassical style on a square base. View IV
Archive V A carved cream alabaster portrait bust depicting Napoleon Bonaparte in the Neoclassical style on a square base. View V
Enlarged Archival View
Cella

Cella
Telephone 020 8299 4945
Location
London
United Kingdom
Dealer Profile Page sellingantiques.co.uk/cellantiques
Verified Since May 2019
Items For Sale 79
Items Sold 306
Cella
Cella
Verified Since May 2019
View Dealer Info
Location: London, United Kingdom
Profile: sellingantiques.co.uk/cellantiques
Verified
May 2019
For Sale
79
Sold
306
A carved cream alabaster portrait bust depicting Napoleon Bonaparte in the Neoclassical style on a square base.
Large alabaster Napoleon bust after Chaudet
Ref: SA1243559
A carved cream alabaster portrait bust depicting Napoleon Bonaparte in the Neoclassical style on a square base.
Detail View 1
Detail View 2
Detail View 3
Detail View 4
Archival Detail

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Cataloguer’s note

Written by Sellingantiques from the dealer’s photographs and listing
  • ObjectSculptures
  • Period19th century
  • StyleFrench Empire
  • MaterialAlabaster
  • ColourCream
  • MotifsShort cropped hair, Unadorned chest, Square pedestal base, Natural stone veining
  • SizeH 40 cm (16 in) x W 23.5 cm (9 in) x D 17 cm (7 in)

This large early 19th-century French Empire period sculpture is a carved alabaster portrait bust after Antoine-Denis Chaudet depicting Napoleon Bonaparte in the Neoclassical style. The piece takes a bare-headed herm form featuring short cropped hair, an unadorned chest, and a square pedestal base, rendered in a creamy colour with natural stone veining visible across the surface. The carving shows detailed facial features with defined eyes, nose, and lips, along with subtle musculature on the neck and chest and a smooth, polished finish. The work measures 40 cm high, 23.5 cm wide, and 17 cm deep. Placed within a gentleman's library or study, this sculpture suits a prominent mantelpiece, a desktop, or a display cabinet as a focal decorative element. It sits securely on flat surfaces such as wooden sideboards or console tables, integrating easily into traditional or formal interior schemes.

FAQs

Neoclassical portrait busts draw direct inspiration from classical Roman statuary, emphasizing clean lines, crisp anatomical proportions, and unadorned drapery or torsos. Popularised during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, works such as Antoine-Denis Chaudets official portrait of Napoleon established a standardised imperial iconography used across Europe.

Sculptors primarily used fine white Carrara marble, plaster, bronze, and alabaster. Alabaster was favoured for smaller-scale reproductions due to its softness, slight translucency, and capacity for fine surface detail.

Authentic period pieces display evidence of hand-tooling, such as subtle rasp marks inside hair crevices and hand-chiseled undersides. Natural alabaster will show subtle mineral veining and uneven surface patination from age rather than the uniform texture of modern resin cast reproductions.

A classical bust acts as a focal point when placed atop a dark wood mantelpiece, a minimalist console table, or within an open bookcase. Contrast the pale carved stone against dark or saturated background paint to accentuate its profile.

Dust regularly using a soft, dry microfibre cloth or natural bristle brush. Alabaster is a water-soluble mineral, so liquid cleaners, water, and chemical solvents must be avoided to prevent surface erosion and loss of polish.
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