Emmanuel Frémiet

During years 1850, Frémiet produced various work touching with Napoleon. In 1853, Frémiet, “the largest sculptor animalist of its time” exposed bronze sculptures representing of the basset hounds of Napoleon III to the Living room of Paris. Quickly, of 1855 to 1859 it was in charge of a series of military statuettes for the emperor. It carried out its equestrian statue of Napoleon i in 1868 and Louis of Orleans in 1869 (with the Castle of Pierrefonds) and in 1874 the first equestrian statue of Jeanne d' Arc, set up place of the Pyramids in Paris, and which it then replaced by another more completed version (1889). For this period it carried out also Pan and the oursons, also acquired by the Museum of Luxembourg and maintaining with the Musée of Orsay.

It is at that time that it exposed its masterly Gorille removing a femme () which accepted a medal of honor to the Living room of 1887. Although admired at its time, this work appears now ridiculous with some critical for its representation of a gorilla removing a nude woman, obviously with the intention to violate it - something whose true gorilla would not have the least idea. At all events this action did not fascinate the imagination of the public less of it as testifies some durable popularity to the topic of King Kong.

Same vein and even more remarkable is L' Orang-outang strangling a Savage of Bornéo of 1895, a ordering of the Museum of Natural history of Paris. Frémiet still carried out the statue of Michel saint for the point of the bell-tower of the Saint-Michel church and the equestrian statue of Velázquez for the Garden of Infante in Louvre. He became member of the Academy of the Art schools in 1892 and succeeded Barye as professor of animalist drawing to the Museum of Natural history of Paris.

Some famous works

• the equestrian Statue of Jeanne d' Arc, bronzes gilded Place of the Pyramids in Paris, set up in 1874.
• Saint Michel embanking the Dragon bronzes gilded at the top of the arrow of the Mont Saint-Michel installed in 1897.
• the equestrian statue of Bertrand of Guesclin set up with Dinan in 1902.
• the Fountain of the Four Parts of the world, work of Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux, the latter carried out the sphere supported by the four characters, but it is Frémiet which continued work with dead of Carpeaux in 1875, carrying out the eight horses, the dolphins and the tortoises of the basin. This famous fountain is place Camille Jullian in Paris.
• Young elephant taken with the trap, cast iron life size carried out for the World Fair of Paris 1878, currently on the square of the Museum of Orsay.
• Hunter attacked by the Orang-outang S and the hunter of Bear to the botanical garden in Paris.

Many smaller animals are exposed in museums of province and with the Musée of Orsay. A great number of cast iron pulling of Bronze were carried out.

Artistic context

Note