Jean-Baptiste Auguste Clésinger (French, 1814 – 1883), Cornelia and her sons

Jean-Baptiste Auguste Clésinger (French, 1814 - 1883), Cornelia and her sons, the draped and crowned central female figure enthroned and holding a scroll, attended by a nude boy and draped youth, a Roman style shield and helmet to either side, signed J. Clesinger, Rome. 1860 and F. Barbedienne. Fondeur. And stamped Reproduction Mecanique, A. Collas to the rear, 40cm high, 45cm wide
CATALOGUE NOTES: French nineteenth-century sculptor Clésinger took the subject matter of Cornelia and her sons from Roman history. After the death of her husband, Cornelia Africana (2nd century BC), daughter of Roman war hero Scipio Africanus and symbol of maternal virtue, famously refused to remarry in order to fully dedicate herself to her children. Her sons, Gaius and Tiberius Gracchus, would become Roman Tribunes. The elements of Roman armour scattered around the group may allude to the sons future careers, or perhaps to the familys military heritage and activity. The present bronze was cast after a larger group by the Parisian foundry of Ferdinand Barbedienne. Barbedienne was renowned for producing smaller reproductions of famous sculptures, a mechanical process patented by his business partner, Achille Collas.
The marble model of this group was sold at Sothebys New York, Important 19th Century European Paintings and Sculpture, 3 May 2000, lot 78