Philippe Curtius (1737–1794) was a

Swiss Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Swiss may also refer to: Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss Café, an old café located ...

physician A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the Medical education, study, Med ...

and wax modeler who taught

Marie Tussaud Anna Maria "Marie" Tussaud (; née Grosholtz; 1 December 1761 – 16 April 1850), commonly known as Madame Tussaud, was a French artist known for her wax sculptures and Madame Tussauds, the wax museum she founded in London. Biography Mar ...

the art of

wax modelling A wax sculpture is a depiction made using a waxy substance. Often these are effigies, usually of a notable individual, but there are also death masks and scenes with many figures, mostly in relief. The properties of beeswax make it an excell ...

. Marie Grosholtz, the future

, lived in the

Bern Bern (), or Berne (), ; ; ; . is the ''de facto'' Capital city, capital of Switzerland, referred to as the "federal city".; ; ; . According to the Swiss constitution, the Swiss Confederation intentionally has no "capital", but Bern has gov ...

home of Curtius, for whom her mother acted as housekeeper. Marie called him 'Uncle', and in many ways he was a father figure. Curtius used his skill in wax modelling to illustrate anatomy as a physician, and sometimes for the entertainment of visitors. Later, he started to do portraits. Curtius created beautiful anatomical wax models that were admired by the

Prince de Conti Prince of Conti (French: ''prince de Conti'') was a French noble title, assumed by a cadet branch of the princely house of Bourbon-Condé. History The title derives its name from Conty, a small town in northern France, c. 35 km southwest of ...

. In 1765, Curtius was persuaded to give up his medical career and move to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, where he could practice wax modelling as a fine art, starting work to set up a ''cabinet de cire'' (wax exhibition).Undine Concannon, ‘Tussaud , Anna Maria (bap. 1761, d. 1850)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 In that year he made a waxwork of Jeanne Bécu, who would later become Marie Jean du Barry,

Louis XV Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reached maturity (then defi ...

's mistress. A cast of that mould is his oldest work currently on display. His home in

was visited by many of the talented men of the day. Marie and her mother moved to Paris to join Curtius. The first exhibition of Curtius' waxworks was shown in 1770, and attracted a lot of people. The exhibition moved to the

Palais Royal The Palais-Royal () is a former French royal palace located on Rue Saint-Honoré in the 1st arrondissement of Paris. The screened entrance court faces the Place du Palais-Royal, opposite the Louvre. Originally called the Palais-Cardinal, it was ...

in 1776. Curtius was admitted a member of the Academy of St-Luc in 1778. He opened a second location on

Boulevard du Temple The Boulevard du Temple (), formerly nicknamed the "Boulevard du Crime", is a thoroughfare in Paris that separates the 3rd arrondissement of Paris, 3rd arrondissement from the 11th arrondissement of Paris, 11th. It runs from the Place de la Répu ...

in 1782, the Caverne des Grands Voleurs, a precursor to the later Chamber of Horrors. Curtius taught Marie the art of wax modelling.
Curtius on the NNDB website When he died in 1794, he left his collection of waxworks to her. In 1795, she married Francois Tussaud, and her later success in the waxworks business made the name "Tussaud" the most famous one in that form of art. She also became the matriarch of several generations of artists named Tussaud.

References

External links

Tussaud's Wax Museum
1737 births 1794 deaths Swiss sculptors {{Switzerland-sculptor-stub