Le Printemps is a rare bust by Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux, and, along with La Candour, is one of his finest female busts in terms of beauty of form, energy, and life. Many of these marbles were carved in the 1870’s before he died in 1875. There was also a terra cotta version of this bust and Carpeaux usually modeled in clay and then moved on to other mediums such as marble. Distinct in a model such as this by Carpeaux is the expressive, flowing and exuberant carving that gives an energy to his models. He was given the distinct honor of being appointed the court portraitist in 1865 to the empress Eugénie. His busts in particular were considered to have no rival in terms of technique and impressiveness.
Artcurial Auction, Paris France, 10 June 2021