Léopold Morice
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Léopold Morice (French pronunciation: [leɔpɔl(d) mɔʁis]; Nîmes, 9 July 1843 - Paris, 30 June 1919) was a French sculptor.
Life
An apprentice in Auguste Bosc's studio then in François Jouffroy's studio, he was later admitted to the École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts aged 19. His talent gained him several medals during his training there. He won several contracts in 1875 in Paris, Dunkerque, Nîmes, Pompignan, at Le Vigan and in Venezuela.
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One of his most notable works is the statue of Marianne in Place de la République in Paris, on a pedestal by his brother, the architect François-Charles Morice (1848–1908).
In 1910 and 1911 he produced two monuments in memory of Louis-Joseph de Montcalm, one at Montcalm's birthplace of Vestric-et-Candiac (Cantal) and the other in Québec, where Montcalm died. In writing of these monuments, Georges Bellerive stated:
Monsieur Morice's work is all inspiration and [holds] a place in the first rank of French sculptors. His very personal art gives an experienced sensation that sometimes reaches the sublime. Besides talent, he also has a rare suppleness, for from the same chisel come grandly epic scenes as well as gracious and exquisite compositions.[1]
Morice was made a Chevalier dans l'Ordre de la Legion d'Honneur in 1888.
In his lifetime, Morice taught many aspiring artists. One of his most prized students was Jules Edouard Roiné.
References
- ^ (in French) Publication Les deux monuments à Montcalm