Bust of Empress Josephine
by CHINARD, Joseph, Marble, height 67 cm
Like the Emperor, the members of the imperial family liked sculpted effigies and under the Empire there were few Salons where the bust or statue of one of them was not on show. Solidly implanted in France, the tradition of the portrait was brilliantly represented by aging sculptors such as Houdon, Chinard and Delaistre, who were soon joined by a newcomer, Bosio.
Chinard’s bust presents a portrait of Josephine which is solemn - she is wearing court dress - and moving, because it is a very good likeness, not made to look younger as was demanded by neoclassical idealization.