Marie-Anne Collot facts for kids
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Marie-Anne Collot (born 1748 – died 1821) was a talented French sculptor. She was a student of Étienne Falconet, who was also her father-in-law. Marie-Anne Collot was famous for making realistic portraits. She was part of important groups of thinkers and artists. These included Diderot and Catherine the Great.
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Becoming a Sculptor
Marie-Anne Collot was born in Paris, France. At just 15 years old, she began working as a model. She worked in the studio of Jean-Baptiste II Lemoyne. He greatly influenced her path as a portrait artist.
Later, she joined the workshop of Etienne Falconet. Falconet was a close friend of Diderot. Marie-Anne became Falconet's student and a loyal friend. Her younger brother also became an apprentice. He worked for André le Breton, a publisher of the famous Encyclopédie.
Early Sculptures and Recognition
Marie-Anne Collot's first artworks were busts made of terracotta. These included portraits of Falconet's friends. She sculpted Diderot and the actor Préville. She also made a bust of Prince Dimitri Alexeievich Galitzine. Many of her other early works are now lost.
Everyone quickly saw her great talent. People admired her honest and lively artistic spirit.
Years in Russia (1766-1778)
In October 1766, Marie-Anne Collot traveled to St. Petersburg. She went with her teacher, Etienne-Maurice Falconet. He was invited by Catherine the Great. The Empress wanted him to create a large statue. This statue was of Peter the Great on horseback. It is known as “The Bronze Horseman”.
During her time in Russia, Marie-Anne sculpted many portraits. She made busts of members of the Russian Court. People were amazed by her skill. They could not remember any other young woman sculptor. She was only 18 years old at the time.
Marie-Anne also created the plaster model for Peter the Great's head. This model was chosen for the famous statue. Catherine the Great had rejected three attempts by Falconet himself.
In December 1766, she showed her work to the Imperial Academy of Arts. She was elected a member of the Academy on January 20, 1767. She also received a good pension. This amount of money was a fortune for her.
Famous Marble Busts
Catherine the Great asked Collot to sculpt a bust of Falconet. This artwork is now in the Museum of Fine Art in Nancy, France. Catherine also requested a bust of Diderot in 1772. When Falconet saw its high quality, he reportedly destroyed his own bust of Diderot. Collot's Diderot bust is in the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg.
She then created busts of other important figures. These included Henry IV of France, Sully, and Voltaire. She might have also made one of D'Alembert, but it is now lost. She sculpted several busts of Empress Catherine herself. She also made portraits of Grand Duke Paul I and his wife Natalia.
Marie-Anne also created marble medallions. These showed historical figures like Peter the Great. She also sculpted people connected to the Russian court. These included Empress Elizabeth and Lady Cathcart. Lady Cathcart was the wife of Lord Cathcart, the British Ambassador. Collot also made a beautiful bust of their daughter Mary. It was said that marble became scarce in St. Petersburg because of her many works.
Marriage and Return to France
In 1777, Marie-Anne Collot married the painter Pierre-Etienne Falconet. He was the son of Etienne Falconet. They married in St. Petersburg. She moved to England with him, where he studied with Joshua Reynolds. In England, she continued sculpting. She made more busts, including one of Lady Cathcart.
Their daughter was born a year later. However, the marriage was not happy and did not last long. Marie-Anne Falconet returned to France in 1778 with her baby.
Time in Holland
In 1782, Collot visited Holland. She was invited by her friend, Princess Galitzine. While there, she sculpted marble busts. These included portraits of William, Prince of Orange. She also made a bust of his wife, Princess Wilhelmina of Prussia.
Later Life and Retirement
Marie-Anne Collot eventually stopped sculpting completely. She focused on raising her daughter. She also cared for her father-in-law, Etienne Falconet, who was very ill. She continued to help him until he passed away in 1791.
The French Revolution changed the world for artists and thinkers. After her teacher, husband, and friends had died, Marie-Anne bought a country estate. This was at Marimont, near Bourdonnay in Moselle, France. She retired there and lived a quiet life. She died in Nancy in 1821. She is buried in Bourdonnay.
Works of Art
- In the State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg
- Bust of Falconet
- Bust of Diderot
- Bust of Voltaire
- Bust of Henry IV
- Bust of Sully
- In the Russian Museum, St. Petersburg
- Portrait of Peter the Great
- Medallion of Count Grigory Grigoryevich Orlov
- In the Marble Palace, St. Petersburg
- Bust of the Grand Duke Paul
- Bust of the Grand Duchess Natalia
- In the State Museum at Tsarskoye Selo, south of St. Petersburg
- Bust of a young Russian girl
- In the Louvre Museum, Paris
- Portrait thought to be of Peter the Great
- Portrait thought to be of Étienne Noël Damilaville
- Portrait thought to be of Mary Cathcart, daughter of the British ambassador
- In the Musée des Beaux-Arts, Nancy, France
- Portrait of Etienne-Maurice Falconet
- Portrait of his son Pierre-Etienne Falconet
- In private collections
- Portrait of Melchior Grimm
- Portrait of Dimitri Alexeïevitch Galitzine
- Marble medallion of Lady Cathcart
Images for kids
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Grand Duchess Natalia Alexeievna
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Mary Cathcart
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Pierre-Etienne Falconet
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Demetrius Alekseyevich Gallitzin
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See also
In Spanish: Marie-Anne Collot para niños
