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Alphonse Legros (1837-1911): M.16-1950

An image of Head
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An image of Head
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Current Location: In storage

Titles

Alphonse Legros (1837-1911)

Maker(s)

Sculptor: Dalou, Aimé-Jules

Entities

Categories

Description

Bronze, cast. Head shown full face; bearded and moustached, with thick hair.

Notes

History note: Possibly Edouard Lanteri; Guy John Fenton Knowles

Legal notes

Given by G.J. F. Knowles

Measurements and weight

Height: 13 in

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Given (1950) by Knowles, Guy John Fenton

Dating

19th Century, Late-20th Century, Early
Victoria I
Circa 1863 CE - 1902 CE

Note

Dalou and Legros were friends, having trained together as sculptors in Paris. When Dalou was forced, for political reasons, to flee Paris in 1871, he found shelter with Legros, by then an established figure in the London art world. It was upon Legros’ recommendation that Dalou was given a post at the National Art Training School, now the Royal College of Art. Around 1875, Legros etched a portrait of Dalou, and the following year, Dalou modelled a life-size, half-length portrait of Legros in plaster, but subsequently grew dissatisfied with it and smashed it. However, the head was saved, said to have been retrieved by Edouard Lanteri. It is probably the plaster now in the Victoria and Albert Museum (A.7-1993). Several casts were made from it in both plaster and bronze.

Further plasters are in the Musée de Dijon, and the Strang Collection at the Slade School of Art, London.

People, subjects and objects depicted

Project

  • Sculpture UK

Materials used in production

Bronze

Techniques used in production

Casting (process) : Bronze, cast

References and bibliographic entries

Identification numbers

Accession number: M.16-1950
Primary reference Number: 13602
External ID: CAM_CCF_M_16_1950

Audit data

Created: Saturday 6 August 2011 Updated: Friday 24 March 2023

Associated departments & institutions

Owner or interested party: The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department: Applied Arts

Citation for print

This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:

The Fitzwilliam Museum (2025) "Alphonse Legros (1837-1911)" Web page available at: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/13602 Accessed: 2025-12-05 19:27:34

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{{cite web|url=https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/13602 |title=Alphonse Legros (1837-1911) |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2025-12-05 19:27:34|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

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