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Cyprian Godebski, nagrobek Constantina Guysa, 1908, inauguracja 1909, brąz, kamień, Paryż, cmentarz Pantin, photo Andrzej Pieńkos, 2010
Licencja: CC BY-SA 4.0, Źródło: Instytut Polonika, Modyfikowane: yes, Warunki licencji
Fotografia przedstawiająca Tombstone of Constantin Guys by Cyprian Godebski in Pantin cemetery, Paris
Cyprian Godebski, nagrobek Constantina Guysa, 1908, inauguracja 1909, brąz, kamień, Paryż, cmentarz Pantin, photo Andrzej Pieńkos
Licencja: CC BY-SA 4.0, Źródło: Instytut Polonika, Warunki licencji
Fotografia przedstawiająca Tombstone of Constantin Guys by Cyprian Godebski in Pantin cemetery, Paris
Cyprian Godebski, nagrobek Constantina Guysa, 1908, inauguracja 1909, brąz, kamień, Paryż, cmentarz Pantin, photo Andrzej Pieńkos, 2010
Licencja: CC BY-SA 4.0, Źródło: Instytut Polonika, Warunki licencji
Fotografia przedstawiająca Tombstone of Constantin Guys by Cyprian Godebski in Pantin cemetery, Paris
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ID: POL-001397-P

Tombstone of Constantin Guys by Cyprian Godebski in Pantin cemetery, Paris

ID: POL-001397-P

Tombstone of Constantin Guys by Cyprian Godebski in Pantin cemetery, Paris

A simple tombstone, typical of the second half of the 19th century, of a prominent Belgian draughtsman with a portrait bust of the deceased on an equally simple but substantial stone pedestal bearing the inscription 'Constantin Guys 1805-1892' and a foundation inscription. The bust was stolen in the 1990s and has not been recovered to date.

Today forgotten, Constantin Guys (1802-1892) was at one time one of the best-known figures of the Parisian artistic world. Charles Baudelaire dedicated a book to him entitled. "The Painter of Modern Life". He was held in high esteem by Théophile Gautier, Edouard Manet, Felix Nadar and the Impressionists, among others. The Belgian draughtsman gained fame in Paris with his sketch reports of the streets, theatres, scenes from the Crimean War, etc., and was also very popular in England. Towards the end of his life, however, he fell into poverty, died alone in a Parisian asylum and his monument was founded by literary friends and journalists, several years after his death. Godebski made a bust of the artist towards the end of his life (it was probably his last work), portraying a one-time acquaintance from the Paris salons. He received the commission from the Parisian Syndicat de la Presse artistique, with which Guys was once associated. The sculpture may have been created earlier than the casting date of 1908 would suggest. It is not known whether, in portraying the old artist, Godebski worked from memory or perhaps used photographic images of him, such as Nadar's - in one of which Guys looks very similar to the portrait from the tombstone. The bust represents a typically good level of Godebski's portrait sculpture, and is reminiscent of his much earlier works, such as the bust of General Nesselrode from his tombstone in Warsaw's Powązki cemetery or General Mierosławski from the Montparnasse cemetery in Paris. However, the realistic characterisation of Guys' face and costume was complemented by the attributes of his work, below the semicircular bust carved from below: a sketchbook, pen and brushes. In its original form, the statue was one of the rare examples of figural sculpture in the great municipal cemetery of Pantin.

Related persons:
Time of origin:
1908 (casting), inauguration 1909
Creator:
Cyprian Godebski (rzeźbiarz) (preview)
Bibliography:
  • Andrzej Pieńkos, Paris - foyer de la sculpture européenne. La contribution polonaise, „Ikonotheka”, 14, 2000, s. 113-115 (il.).
  • Constantin Guys 1802-1892. Fleurs du mal, katalog wystawy w Musée de la vie romantique w Paryżu, Paris 2002, s. 139-140, 153.
Supplementary bibliography:

Letter from A. Dayot to F. Nadar, 3.05.1904, concerning the order for the tombstone (Paris, Bibliotheque Nationale, NAF 24267, f. 305).

Photograph by J. Dufilho showing the tombstone (Paris, Musée Carnavalet).

Author:
prof. Andrzej Pieńkos
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