Marie-Anne Collot

Marie-Anne Collot is a Sculpteur French (Paris, 1748 - Nancy, February 24th 1821), Portraitiste, raises and daughter-in-law of Etienne Falconet, near to the philosophical and artistic circles of Diderot and Catherine II.

The pupil of Falconet

Marie-Anne Collot enters in training as of the 15 years age, in Paris, in the sculptor Etienne Falconet, near to Diderot. His/her young brother, it, become apprentice in the bookseller Breton the, which was at the origin of the Encyclopédie.

The first works of Marie-Anne Collot are terra cotta busts of the friends of Falconet: Diderot, his/her friends Nickel silver Grimm and Damilaville, the actor Préville in Sganarelle or the prince Galitzine, ambassador of Russia, from which much is lost today.

Everyone consequently recognizes its talent, its honesty and the promptness of its spirit.

The stay in Russia (1766-1778)

In October 1766, it arrives with its Master at Saint-Pétersbourg, on invitation of Catherine II, for the realization of a equestrian statue of Pierre I {{er}} of Russia.

It thus made portraits of characters of the court of Russia: one does not dry up praises in front of the talent of a woman sculptor (there was not the memory of any other), of more 18 years old! In December of the same year, she is elected with the imperial Academy of the Art schools.

The young woman lays out of a comfortable pension, for it, a fortune.

Marble busts

Always at the request of Catherine II, it carries out the portrait of Falconet, today with the museum of the Art schools of Nancy, and also, in 1772, a masterly bust of Diderot to the sight of which, one, Falconet say broke that it had made itself of the philosopher: it is today with the Musée of the Hermitage in Saint-Pétersbourg.

Then came from the busts of Henri IV, of Voltaire and the empress in person, and the portraits, and the medallions. , One, Saint-Pétersbourg had suddenly missed the marble says!

The face of Pierre the Large one

Falconet entrusts to its protected difficult task from the realization of the face of Pierre Large the for equestrian the statue known as “the Rider of bronze”, in Saint-Pétersbourg. It is documented then very seriously and submits a project which fills ease everyone.

Marriage and return in France

She marries in 1777, in Saint-Pétersbourg, the painter Pierre Etienne Falconet, wire of the sculptor. A girl is born from this union which was however unhappy and transitory.

Mrs Falconet returns to France in 1778, with her baby.

Stay in Holland

In 1782, accommodated in Holland by her friend the princess Galitzine, it carries out the marble busts of Guillaume, prince d' Orange, and of his wife, the Wilhelmine princess of Prussia.

A premature retirement

It gives up definitively the sculpture then, being devoted from now on to the education of her daughter and the care taken to her father-in-law and Master fallen seriously sick, until 1791, where he died.

The Revolution upsets all this world of the artists, the writers and the philosophers. Its Master, her husband, his friends having died, Mrs Falconet bought in 1791 the field of Marimont (commune of Bourdonnay, the Moselle), where it withdrew and carried out a peaceful life. It is buried there.

Works

(to be supplemented)

with the Museum of the Hermitage, Saint-Pétersbourg

Bust of Falconet
Bust of Diderot
Bust of Voltaire
Bust of Henri IV
Bust of Sully

(Situation to be specified)

Bust of Catherine II (probably with the museum of the Hermitage)

with the Museum of Louvre, Paris

Portrait supposed of Pierre Large the
Portrait supposed of Etienne-Christmas Damilaville, Clerk of Twentieth and writer (1723-1768)
Portrait supposed of Marie Cathcart, girl of the ambassador of Great Britain with Saint-Pétersbourg

with the Museum of the Art schools of Nancy

Portrait of Falconet

private collection

Portrait of Nickel silver Grimm

Notes, references

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