Lot 424: A FRENCH CARVED WHITE MARBLE GROUP OF CUPID ROWING A BOAT

A FRENCH CARVED WHITE MARBLE GROUP OF CUPID ROWING A BOAT
JEAN-BAPTISTE JOSEPH DEBAY FILS (1802-1862), SECOND QUARTER 19TH CENTURY
The winged boy seated on a leaf shaped boat, an anchor and sail at his feet, the anchor signed JEAN DEBAY., the rectangular plinth base with waves, part of the paddle lacking
102 cm. high x 74 cm. wide x 48 cm. deep

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Jean-Baptiste-Joseph Debay, the son of the sculptor Jean Debay, studied under his father as well as under Baron Bosio until he entered the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in 1820. His talents were recognized widely and as a result he began receiving numerous awards and medals amassing a rather large number of them as early as 1823. Debay was also a regular exhibitor at the Salon and won his first class medal in 1836 as well as a second class medal at the Exposition Universelle in 1855. He was appointed a medal of Légion d'honneur on 25 May 1851. Today, Debay's sculptures grace the churches of Saint-Sulpice, La Madeleine and Saint-Eustache, as well as the gardens of the Louvre; many of his other works are currently housed at Museé de Versailles.