Louis-Simon Boizot – a genius of sculptural art, who knew how to create unique masterpieces even from porcelain

Louis-Simon Boizot (October 9, 1743 – March 10, 1809) – the famous French artist of the second half of the XVIII – early XIX centuries , a genius sculptor of the neoclassical style. He was widely famous for making busts of prominent people of France and for multi-figured sculptural compositions from Sevres porcelain. The best masterpieces of the master’s work today adorn the halls of museums in different countries and are carefully kept in the collections of patrons. The artist’s biography is closely connected with Paris, in this city he lived most of his life.

Louis-Simon Boiseau is the most famous member of the family of artists. His father Antoine Boizot was a talented painter, and his younger sister Marie-Louise-Adélaïde Boizot was a draftsman and engraver.

Biography

Louis-Simon Boiseau was born on October 9, 1743 in the capital of France. His father not only painted pictures of various genres for wealthy clients, but also worked as a draftsman at the Royal Tapestry Manufactory. Parents early discovered their son’s talent for art and encouraged this hobby in every possible way.

At the age of 16, Louis-Simon became a student at the Moscow Academy of Painting and Sculpture, where his first mentor was the famous French master René-Michel Slodtz. In 1762, Boiseau won the competition for the Rome Prize in sculpture and, three years later, left for the Italian capital to complete his studies there.

Louis-Simon was also often involved in the manufacture of sculptural decorations for public buildings in Paris – churches and palaces. And after leaving for Russia Falconet (Étienne Maurice Falconet), for seven years he headed the model workshop of the Sevres manufactory. Boiseau skillfully mastered the techniques of processing a variety of materials and created beautiful masterpieces not only from marble, but also from porcelain and bronze.

After the French Revolution, the authoritative artist became a member of the National Commission for Monuments. Louis-Simon enthusiastically embraced Napoleon’s coming to power and remained his ardent supporter until his death. Commissioned by the emperor, the artist created a magnificent statue that adorns the top of the column of the monumental fountain Fontaine du Palmier, built in Paris on the Place Châtelet to glorify the military genius of Bonaparte.

In 1805, the famous sculptor was appointed head of the National Academy of Arts, but he did not hold this honorary position for long. On March 10, 1809, Louis-Simon Boiseau died suddenly at the age of 65. The body of the master was buried in the Parisian cemetery of Père Lachaise, where the remains of many famous people of France rest.

The most famous works of Louis-Simon Boiseau

The brilliant artist has created many skillful masterpieces from various materials during his creative career. And yet, some of the most famous works of Louis-Simon Boiseau include:

• Bust of Louis XVI (1777) – a sculptural portrait of the French monarch made of marble. The omnipotent ruler liked this work so much that he ordered similar busts of his wife and brother Joseph II, the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, from the master.
• Meleager (1778) is a work that has become a landmark in the artist’s career. It was for this masterpiece, exhibited at the Paris Salon, that the 35-year-old master received the honorary title of Academician.
• Bust of Claude Joseph Vernet (1783) – sculptural portrait of the famous French landscape painter, made of bronze. Boiseau portrayed his colleague in the manner typical of the best masters of sculpture of the ancient era.
• The Victory Statue at Fontaine du Palmier (1808) is one of the artist’s last works and still adorns the square in the center of Paris. A semi-nude antique goddess with wings, made of gilded bronze, holds in her hands two laurel wreaths intended for the great emperor Napoleon I.