Study for “Architecture”

Conté crayon on chiné pinkish-cream wove paper, circa 1878. 

Study for one of the figures in Les Muses des Arts, a ceramic tile
decor created for the 1878 Paris Exposition, for Haviland. Sheet: 15 x 10 ¼ inches.
Prov: Sagot-Le Garrec, Paris. Acquired from the family of the artist. 

Haviland manufactory, the same ceramic manufacturer that produced the famous Service Rousseau created by her husband Félix Bracquemond, commissioned Marie to create a large decorative painted ceramic tile panel to be displayed at the 1878 Universal Exposition in Paris. Our preparatory drawing was used as a model to the left side panel. The overall composition, which was titled Les Muses des Arts, comprised one central tableau and two side panels. There are traces of the existence of this ambitious creation, which measured 3 by 7 meters (circa 10 x 23 feet), but its whereabouts today are unknown (contact us for a visual reference). Most of the architecture for the 1878 expositions has been destroyed; only the Grand Palais remains. This work of art may very well be lost today. It was likely the most monumental work Marie Bracquemond ever created and was certainly regarded as her most important public masterpiece.
Despite being an accomplished and inspired painter, Marie Bracquemond’s work did not receive widespread attention during her lifetime. Museums are today acquiring her work to rectify this injustice.