Clémence Sophie de SERMEZY (1767-1850) after - Lot 34

Clémence Sophie de SERMEZY (1767-1850) after Juliette Récamier Terracotta proof Dated 1886 Inscribed on the back of the pedestal: d'après Chinard; 1805. S...[?] Louis; 1886. The original plaster cast made by Clémence Sophie de Sermez in 1805 is kept at the Musée de Beaux-Arts de Lyon under inventory no. 1989-3. Height: 44.5 cm In the first half of the 19th century, Mme de Sermezy hosted a salon in Lyon frequented by illustrious personalities. Juliette Récamier, from a family firmly rooted in Lyon's good society, frequented the artist's salon. She recalled it with emotion in a fragment of a letter addressed to the painter Richard: "The memories of Mme de Sermézy's society that you kindly recall to me are as dear as they are present. I found in her at the time of my exile the most benevolent sympathy [...]". (Desvernay, 1915, p.153) Lyon sculptor Joseph Chinard probably played a role in bringing the two women together. He was certainly Mme de Sermézy's sculpture teacher. In addition to small terracotta statuettes, Clémence Sophie de Sermezy, who never traded in her art, was most famous for her bust portraits of family members and guests. This half-body bust owes much to Chinard's "grand buste" of Juliette Récamier, particularly in the general arrangement of the pose. Juliette Récamier delicately pulls one end of her shawl over her shoulder, while tilting her head slightly to the side, somewhere between modesty and unveiling. However, Clément de Sermézy avoids the overly sensual details exploited by Joseph Chinard, such as bare breasts and a widely uncovered upper back. The artist remains faithful to his master's art in the care given to the treatment of the hairstyle: small serpentine locks are artistically distributed around the tiara adorned with putti foliage. Clémence de Sermezy remains influenced by a certain neoclassicism, with her pupil-less, antique-style eyes. Bibl. : Anne Tapissier, Madame de Sermezy élève de Chinard (1767-1850), Lyon, Audin, 1936 p. 46-47; p. 60, no. 28 Juliette Récamier: muse et mécène, cat. exp. (Lyon, Musée des Beaux-Arts, March 27 - June 29, 2009), ed. by Stéphane Paccoud, Paris, Hazan, 2009, p. 82.