Satirical Portrait of Jean-Baptiste-Apollinaire Lebas (1797–1873)
Brilliantly conceived in Dantan’s characteristic lighthearted mode of caricature, this sculpture portrays Jean-Baptiste Apollinaire Lebas, a French engineer best known for having procured one of the ancient obelisks of Luxor, which he erected at the Place de la Concorde in Paris. A fashionably dressed Lebas is depicted balancing the monument under one arm while doing a nimble dance across a tight rope, undoubtedly a reference to his political and technical prowess in realizing the ambitious project. The engineer’s name appears inscribed on the base in amusing pseudo-hieroglyph, with “Le” followed by a stocking (in French “bas”).
Artwork Details
- Title: Satirical Portrait of Jean-Baptiste-Apollinaire Lebas (1797–1873)
- Artist: Jean-Pierre Dantan (French, Paris 1800–1869 Baden-Baden)
- Date: 1836
- Culture: French
- Medium: Plaster
- Dimensions: confirmed: 13 1/8 × 5 1/8 × 7 13/16 in., 3.8 lb. (33.3 × 13 × 19.9 cm, 1.7 kg)
- Classification: Sculpture
- Credit Line: Gift of Wheelock Whitney III, 2025
- Object Number: 2025.841
- Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
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Jean-Pierre Dantan (French, Paris 1800–1869 Baden-Baden)
1836
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