France. JEAN-BAPTISTE CAMILLE COROT, painter. By Henri Chapu (1833-91). Uniface cast bronze 61mm x 73mm. $350.

Henri Michel Antoine Chapu was born on September 29 1833 at M?e-sur-Seine, where his parents worked as a coachman and housekeeper. He showed an aptitude for art and won a scholarship. He studied under James Pradier, Francisque Duret and L?on Cogniet at the ?cole des Beaux-Arts in Paris. In 1851 he won the second grand prix de Rome in medal engraving for ?Neptune Giving Birth to a Horse.? In 1853 he won the second Grand Prix de Rome in sculpture for ?Alexander’s Despair after the Death of Clitus. In 1855 he won the first Grand Prix de Rome jointly with Am?d?e Doublemard, His sculpture ?Cl?obis and Biton? was accidently damaged during transit, but was nonetheless selected unanimously by the jury. While at the Villa Medicis he made portrait medallions of some of his colleagues. He continued to make medals throughout his career and helped lead the revival of the medal as an art form. He struggled in his early years. Chapu exhibited at the Salon from 1863 onwards. His statues of ?Mercury? of 1861 and ?Jeanne d’Arc? of 1870 were his big successes, and led to many commissions. He was made an Officer of the L?gion d?Honeur. Chapu died in Paris on April 21 1891.