FRANCOIS POMPON

(1855 / 1953)

FRANCOIS POMPON France (1855) / (1953) "Cosette"

Patinated bronze sculpture. Signed "F. Pompon" and titled "Cosette". This unique work by François Pompon is marked by the academicism that characterized the sculptor's early period. Presented at the Salon of Artists in 1890 (no. 4366), it did not receive the official recognition that the sculptor sought. However, the realism and expression of suffering, effort, and poverty in Cosset, the girl in Victor Hugo's novel Les Miserables, caught the attention of the sculptor Auguste Rodin, who would later become his mentor. Pompon worked for him for years, eventually becoming director of his workshop in 1893. Unable to secure the official support that would have provided him with stability and materials, Pompon agreed with the sculptor Leon Persinka and the founder Edmond Siot to produce Cosset in four different sizes (1888-1892). It was at this time that Persinka must have acquired the work presented here, the only one in this size, and which he must have sold around 1900. The plaster cast that served as a model for this sculpture is preserved in the Victor Hugo Museum, donated by the artist himself. It is believed, to this day, that the bronze presented here had been destroyed. Attached is a certificate and study by Mrs. Liliane Colas dated March 2025. Provenance: -Persinka, Paris, 1890 -Acquired around 1900/07 by the Marquises of Pobla de Claramunt -By descent to the current owners. This bronze will be included in the new catalogue being prepared by the specialist Mrs. Liliane Colas, scheduled for 2025, with the number F14. Measurements: 128 x 41 x 60 cm.