Jean-Baptiste (called Auguste) Clésinger (French, 1814-1883)

Although French, Auguste Clésinger was working in Italy when he presented Helen for the first time in 1860 as a marble bust. Encouraged by the response, he created a full-length marble of the Iliad heroine and exhibited it in the Paris Salon of 1861.

Ferdinand Barbedienne, the first founder to sign commercial contracts with sculptors, bought the advance rights to reproduce the entire oeuvre, in whatever format or technique. He produced six bronze copies of the full-length Helen and of the bust. The founder displayed these models at prestigious events such as the International Exhibition in London, 1862.

The present lot is the largest of Barbedienne's bronze Helens and is the same size as Clésinger's original marble displayed in Rome in 1860. It shows a clear indication of the founder's touch. He has heightened Helen's jewels with gilding and enriched her skin with various patinas.