(Madame de Pompadour) Jacques françois SALY - Lot 428

(Madame de Pompadour) Jacques françois SALY Young girl's bust H : 43 cm Reproduction by the National Museums: Hand-patinated reproduction on . The model of this bust has been identified as either Alexandrine d'Etiolles, daughter of the Marquise de Pompadour, or the daughter of the painter De Troy, or the young Catherine Hallé, child of the painter of that name.None of these hypotheses seems admissible, but it is certain that the bust was famous as early as the 18th century: Boucher, among others, used it as a symbol of sculpture in several compositions; it was offered, in the form of an engraved plate, as a study to young artists, and numerous versions or replicas attest to its success.It may have been executed by Jacques-François Saly (1717-1776) during his brief stay in Paris, on his return from the Académie de France in Rome, and before his departure for Denmark (1753), where he spent most of his career. Relatively unknown in France, this sculptor was one of the key figures in the development of French art abroad in the 18th century.