François Jouffroy (French pronunciation:[fʁɑ̃swaʒufʁwa]; 1 February 1806 – 25 June 1882) was a French sculptor.
Biography
Jouffroy was born in Dijon, France, the son of a baker, and attended the local drawing school before being admitted to the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris in 1824. In 1832 he won the Prix de Rome. Jouffroy often had to compete with Pierre-Jean David d'Angers for public commissions, but during the Second Empire (1851–1870) he still participated in the decoration of several public buildings.
Jouffroy created a marble font for this church based on drawing by his student Elisa de Lamartine. This piece was also cast in bronze by Barbedienne.[4][5]
One of two white marble bas-reliefs in the crypt of Les Invalides. One descends to the crypt through an imposing bronze door which leads to a staircase. On this door are inscribed an extract from Napoleon's will
"Je désire que mes cendres reposent sur les bords de la Seine, au milieu de ce peuple français que j'ai tant aimé"
At the bottom of this staircase are Jouffroy's bas-reliefs. Jouffroy depicts the Prince of Joinville delivering Napoleon's coffin to Louis-Philippe. Napoleon had died on 5 May 1821 on the island of St. Helena, where he had been in exile since 1815. He was buried on the island and his remains stayed there until 1840 when Louis-Philippe decided to have the body brought back to France. A body of French sailors, under the command of the Prince of Joinville, brought his coffin to France aboard the ship "Belle Poule". This episode is known as the Retour des cendres.[11][12][13]
Les quatre Evangélistes
Paris, Église de Sainte Clotilde.
1851
Jouffroy executed depictions of the four evangelists for the church's altar.
The works Marine Guerrière, Marine marchande and others.
Palais du Louvre, Guichets Lesdiguières
See note
In the Aile Lescot of the Cour Carree is the work "La Sculpture", in the guichets Lesdiguières are the "Marine Guerrière" and "Marine marchande" of 1868, the 1867 statue "Massillon" is located in the Aile Henri 1V, "L'Art et La Science" of 1857 is in the Pavillon Mollien, two caryatides are also in the Pavillon Mollien dating to 1857 and Saint Bernard in the Aile Colbert.
Jouffroy executed a sculpture of the Celtic water goddess Sequana. It was used by the architects Gabriel Davioud, Victor Baltard et Combaz as part of a grotto called the "nymphée" which marked one of the Seine's sources
Gaspard Monge, the Comte de Péluse was a French mathematician and inventor of descriptive geometry (the mathematical basis of technical drawing), and the father of differential geometry. During the French Revolution he served as the Minister of the Marine, and was involved in the reform of the French educational system, helping to found the École Polytechnique. Although kept in Beaune the bust is the property of the Musée de Dijon who hold many Jouffroy works including his busts of Bonaparte and Louis Dietsch.
This was Jouffroy's winning piece for the 1832 Prix de Rome. The composition was in ronde bosse and in plaster. The composition depicts Capaneus striking the wall during the war of the Seven against Thebes, when he shouted that Zeus himself could not stop him from invading it[31]
"Cain après la malédiction"
Musee Chateau Compiegne
1838
This was Jouffrey's presentation at the Paris Salon of 1838. A distraught Cain is overcome with grief after he had killed his brother.[32]
"Premier secret confié à Vénus" or "Jeune fille confiant son secret à Vénus"
Paris; musée du Louvre département des Sculptures
1839
One of Jouffroy's best known pieces. This marble composition was acquired in 1840 by the Ministère de la Maison du roi for the Musée du Luxembourg. A plaster version is held by the Musée de Toulon and Jouffroy gave the Musée de Dijon a reduced plaster version. The plaster cast is held by the Musee Croatzier in Le Puy-en-Velay. The marble version was shown at the Paris Salon in 1839 and the 1855 Éxposition Universelle. A plaster statuette is held by the Musée de Grenoble acquired in 1874.
Merlin took part in the battle of Talavera while commanding the cavalry of the IV Corps d'Armées.[39]
Institute des jeunes aveugles
Paris
1843
Jouffrey executed a statue of Valentin Haüy for the front of the institute's building at 56, boulevard des Invalides, Paris 7e. In his composition Jouffrey depicts Haüy getting inspiration from an allegory of Charity and instructing the blind.[40]
This building is located in 29 rue Verrerie. In 1844 Jouffrey was commissioned to execute some sculptural work for the wall of the first floor landing.
"Les Arts et les Sciences"- Decoration for the Palais du Louvre.
Paris
1855-1957
This work is located on the front of the pavillon Mollien. The musee d'Orsay hold the original plaster model. Jouffrey also completed two caryatides for the pavillon Mollien.
Massillon
Palais du Louvre.Paris
1855-1957
Jouffrey also completed this statue for the Louvre's Henri IV wing. His "Saint Bernard" was part of the exterior decoration of the Colbert wing
Statues representing the cities of Warsaw and Brussels on the facade of the Gare du Nord
Paris
1863
Two of several statues decorating the facade of this main Paris station.
The museum hold a plaster maquette of the sculpture which can be seen on the left hand facade of the Paris Opera House. The architect Charles Garnier commissioned four sculptural groups for the Opéra de Paris façade and apart from "L'Harmonie", other sculptors added the works "La Musique", "Le Drame" and "La Danse".
Plaster maquette for the statue of Napoleon erected in 1857 in Auxonne's Place d'Armes.[47]
"L'Aurore"
Paris
1870
Jouffroy's L'Aurore (The Dawn) can be seen in the Jardin Marco Polo, one of two parks created in 1867 between the Jardin du Luxembourg and the Observatoire de Paris.
Jouffrey submitted this work in white marble to the 1877 Paris Salon and it was purchased by the French State for Paris' Église Sainte-Geneviève (The Panthéon). It was moved to Arras in 1934.