Sunday, October 18: Furniture and Art Objects Auction
Our next Furniture and Works of Art auction will be held on Sunday, October 18, 2026, starting at 2:00 p.m., at 3 Impasse des Chevau-Légers, in Versailles.
This auction offers the opportunity to view a beautiful collection of sculptures by Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux, including Génie de la Danse, Eve with the Serpent, Fisherman with a Shell, Laughing Neapolitan Woman, and Mater dolorosa.
A leading sculptor of the 19th century, Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux (1827–1875) was one of the great figures of Second Empire art. Trained at the École des Beaux-Arts and later awarded the Prix de Rome, he revitalized sculpture by infusing it with spontaneity and energy: the bodies are in motion, the faces animated by a smile or intense emotions, and the drapery seems to vibrate... Whether depicting mythology, scenes of daily life, religious subjects, or major dramatic themes, Carpeaux celebrates the vitality, grace, and depth of human emotions through each of his works.
We are pleased to present this *Eve Tempted*, a bronze with a richly nuanced brown patina, an artist’s edition bearing the “Propriété Carpeaux” stamp, circa 1874.
In this work, Carpeaux blends the ideal beauty inherited from the classical tradition with a naturalism derived from meticulous observation of human behavior.
This scene of seduction, in which Eve hides her unease by averting her gaze from this man-headed demon, is directly inspired by an intimate moment between two young people that the artist happened to witness.
And as usual, a beautiful selection of jewelry, silverware, tableware, decorative items, paintings, and sculptures…
Bibliography: Michel Poletti and Alain Richarme, Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux: Sculptor, A Catalog Raisonné of His Published Works, Les Editions de l'Amateur, 2003.