Victor Sappey

Victor Sappey (11 February 1801, Grenoble - 23 March 1856), also known as Pierre-Victor Sappey, was a French sculptor.

Career

In 1824, Sappey worked in Rogge's workshop in Paris before living in Egypt for two years with his friend Jean Achard and a group of St. Simonians. He was among the first sculptors to use cement as a sculptural material. This can be seen in the statue "Génie des Alpes" in Uriage-les-Bains; though the original was destroyed, a model is kept at Musée dauphinois. Sappey was professor and later director at the École des Beaux-Arts de Grenoble. In addition to his sculptures, Sappey was also known for his caricatures.

Personal life

Sappey was a friend of Théodore Ravanat and Henri Fantin-Latour, and was close to all members of the École dauphinoise that he attended in Proveysieux. He was also the father-in-law of the Grenoble sculptor Aimé Charles Irvoy (1824–1898), who had once been his student. His father was a stonemason.

Selected works

In Grenoble, France

* "Le Drac" - terra cotta, 1833. It was named after the Drac. The Museum of Grenoble purchased it in 1856.
* "Fontaine des dauphins" - stone. Also known as "Château d'eau de la Valette," this was erected as a tribute to former Grenoble mayor Marquis de Lavalette. Nadon created the fountain while Sappey created the cherubs and dolphins.
* "Le serpent et le dragon" - stone and bronze, 1843. This fountain, located near the Saint-Laurent Bridge, was created following severe flooding. The lion symbolizes the city defeating the snake, or the Isère River.
* Alexandre Michal-Ladichèr - plaster, 1836. Acquired by the Museum of Grenoble in 1885.
* Self-portrait - terra cotta. At the Museum of Grenoble.
* Jacques de Vaucanson - plaster. Bust. At the Museum of Grenoble.
* "L'Enfant au poisson; La Pêche" - marble, 1849. At the Museum of Grenoble.
* "L'Isère" - terra cotta, 1835. Statuette. At the Museum of Grenoble.
* "La Mort de Lucrèce" - plaster, 1828. High-relief. At the Museum of Grenoble.
* "Le Géant des Alpes" - cement. statue. This was destroyed but the Musée dauphinois has a model.
* Louis-Joseph Vicat - 1855. Bust. At the Museum of Grenoble.
* Monument to General Marchand - 1851. Tombstone. At Saint Roch Cemetery.
* Monument to Mrs Recoura - marble, 1855. Tombstone. At Saint Roch Cemetery.

Image:Fontaine au lion - Grenoble - 2017-09-20.jpg, Le serpent et le dragon
Image:Grenoble - La Fontaine du Lion 2.jpg, Le serpent et le dragon
Image:Chateau d'eau, place Grenette - Grenoble.JPG, Fontaine des dauphins
Image:Grenoble - Ange grenette.JPG, Fontaine des dauphins
Image:Victor Sappey - Mort de Lucrèce.jpg, Mort de Lucrèce
Image:Le Drac by Victor Sappey-MG 449-IMG 1174-black.jpg, Le Drac

Elsewhere

* Chambéry: "Fontaine des éléphants" - bronze and cast iron, 1838. This was erected in honour of General Benoît de Boigne, a generous donor to the town, and specifically references his achievements in India.
* Uriage-les-Bains: "Fontaine de la nymphe" - stone, 1847. Also known as "Fontaine de la déesse Hygie." Depicts the goddess Hygieia.
* Valence, Drôme: Statue Jean-Étienne Championnet - bronze, 1848. The monument was restored in 2002.
* Voreppe: Amable Rome tombstones - stone. Tombstones created for Dr. Amable Rome and his son.

Image:Fontaine des éléphants Chambéry.JPG, Fontaine des éléphants
Image:Chamberyelephants.JPG, Fontaine des éléphants
Image:Championnet 2004-08-15 027.jpg, Statue Jean Étienne Vachier Championnet
Image:Le Géant des Alpes.JPG, Le Géant des Alpes

References

* Maurice Wantellet, ''Deux siècles et plus de peinture dauphinoise'', edited by the author

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sappey, Victor
1801 births
1856 deaths
Artists from Grenoble
19th-century French sculptors
French male sculptors
19th-century French male artists