CHAPU, HENRI MICHEL ANTOINE (French). Sculptor, and Medallist, born at Le Mée (Seine-et Marne), on the 29th of September, 1833, died at Paris, on the 21st of April, 1891. A pupil of Pradier, Duret, and Léon Cogniet, he was received at the Ecole des Beaux- Arts in 1849. In 1851, and again in 1853, he obtained the second Prix de Rome, and at the Salons of 1855, 1863, 1865, and 1866 he was awarded medals of honour. In 1867, he was created a Knight of the Legion of Honour, and some years later, an Officer of the same Order. Chapu is the author of numerous busts, and statues, some of which are master-pieces, as for example : Jeanne d'Arc — Youth (Monument of H. Regnault at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts); — Berryer; — Desmarres Junior; — Immortality; — Decorative Vase (in the possession of Baron de Rothschild at Vienna) ; — The Brothers Galignani ; — H. R. H. the Princess of Wales ; — The Duchess of Orleans ; — Thought ; — Pluto and Proserpina ; — Funereal monument of Mgr. Dupanloup, &c. The artist's medals and medallions are also of great beauty : M. Chapu Senior, 1852 ; — Mme Chapu, 1852; — The Marquis de Voguë, 1855; — Thénon ; — Mme Rouillon, 1859; — Duret, sculptor; — Alphée Dubois, medallist, 1860; — Ernest Dugit, 1861 ; — Gilbert, painter; — E.J. B. Gujllaume, 1861; — Delaunay, painter; — M. Chapu Senior, 1861; — Schnetz, painter, 1 861 ; — Portrait of a Lady, 1861 ; — Bonnat, painter, 1860; — Another, similar, of a later date ; — De Coninck, 1861 ; — Launay, 1862; — Louis Gallait, 1861 ; — Sully Prudhomme ; — F. Lionnet, 1862 ;- — Bidot, 1863 ; — M. Chapu Senior, 1864; — C. Clére, painter, 1864 ; — Duc, architect, 1865 ; — Mme Mercier, 1866; — M. Rouillon, 1867; — J. F. A. Bernard, painter, 1867; — Mme A. Lenormant, 1867; — Mme Launay, 1867; — Vacquerie, 1866; — Amédée Hardy, architect, 1868; — M. Alfred Jacquemard, 1868; — Tony Robert-Fleury, painter, 1868; — Velpeau, 1868 ; — Marie (Marie Cozette de Rubempré, since Mme Henri Chapu, illustrated) ; — Portrait of a young lady, 1873 ; — Jules Favre ; — Armand Dumaresq ; painter, 1862 ; — Daniel Stern ; — EmileTrélat; — E. Déglise ; — Victor Thiébaut, 1875 ; — Questel, architect ; — Paula Bréton, 1877 ; — Nino (Christian Gamier) ; — J. Vallet, 1877 ; — Mlle Massenet; — Eugéne Guillaume, statuary ; — Léon Cogniet; — J.-N. Robert-Fleury, painter, 1877 ; — Mme Robert- Fleury ; — E. Vaudremer, architect ; — Millet and Rousseau, painters; — J. F. Bapterosses, 1885; — Chappée,- 1889; — Picard; — Jeanne d'Arc (large bronze medallion); — Painting, Music, Architecture, Poetry, and Sculpture ; — Commemoration of the Foundation of the Sacré-C?ur at Montmartre, Paris ; — The young Mother ; — Victor Schnetz, late Director of the French Academy at Rome ; — Elie Delaunay ; — Tony Robert-Fleury ; — Dr Henri Claisse ; — F. Aulanier ; — The Needlewoman of the French Academy at Rome, &c. Some of these medallions are in clay, others in marble, but most of them are cast in bronze. One of his earliest works represents ' Neptune creating the horse '. Chapu worked also as a Goldsmith and chaser on copper, and in this particular branch of art produced many beautiful articles. " To this artist we owe the final evolution of glyptic art, " said Roty in his preface to " Augustin Dupré "; most of his high relievi, such as Youth, Thought, Immortality, Christ with Angels, Félicien David, Flaubert, could easily be reduced to medals, and likewise his low relievi, Poetry, Architecture, Music, Painting, Sculpture, Art, &c. M. Fidiére sums up his criticism on Chapu in the following words : " Le nom de Chapu n'en restera pas moins un des plus grands de la sculpture contemporaine, car son esprit s'est constamment élevé dans les pures et sereines régions du Beau, et ses ?uvres vivront de longs siécles, car elles sont comme une suave émanation de cette âme si simple, si belle, si harmonieuse ! " " Chapu " writes M. G. Lecomte in his paper " La Renaissance de la Médaille " (Revue de Paris, 1. Mai 1899) " était avant tout un sculpteur. Lorsqu'il fit de la gravure en médailles, il resta sculpteur tout en se conformant aux exigences de la glyptique. Aussi les piéces qu'il nous a laissées sont-elles admirables de fermeté simple, de go?t, d'expression, d'harmonie. Et ses médaillons, ses hauts-reliefs, possédent toutes les qualités qui conviennent á la médaille. Ils furent un bon exemple pour les graveurs. Son portrait de Gilbert est, avec la médaille de Naudet par Ponscarme, parmi les ?uvres les plus parfaites du siécle. Ces deux artistes ont vraiment innové, et avec leur vision moderne, ils rappellent les plus belles piéces du passé. Sans exagérer, on peut dire que tout le renouveau contemporain est contenu dans ces deux médailles. En outre du caractére de ces portraits, de la douceur des lumiéres, remarquons les dégradés delicats qui, sans parti pris fâcheux d'effacement, unissent le fond avec les reliefs et créent un ensemble harmonieux. Le listel vulgaire et monotone disparaît. Disparaissent aussi les hideuses lettres typographiques. Et quand nos médailleurs contemporains voudront ajouter des légendes, ils auront soin de les écrire en lettres dessinées par eux, convenant au sujet traité, et ils sauront les arranger avec go?t. Les memes qualités, si précieuses, se retrouvent dans les autres ?uvres que nous avons de Chapu, la médaille du Sacré-C?ur, le portrait de Mlle Garnier, dans ses compositions en bas-relief : La Poésie, la Peinture, la Musique, l'Architecture, ?c, dans la série de ses hauts reliefs comme l'Immortalité, la Pensée, le Christ aux Anges, dans les hommages á Flaubert, á Félicien David, M. Roty, lui rendant pieusement justice, a dit de Chapu : « C'est a lui que nous devons la derniére évolution de la glyptique. » One of Chapu's pupil, M. Paul Béville, has also produced some fine medals; that of Victor Baillot, the last French survivor of Waterloo, is mentioned by Dr F. P. Weber, in his article in the Num. Chronicle on Medals of Centenarians (1897, p. 311). Bibliography. — Chavignerie et Auvray, op. cit. — L. Bénédite, Catalogue, ?c. — O. Fidiére, Chapu, sa vie et son ?uvre, Paris, 1894. — R Marx, Les Médailleurs francais, Paris, 1897.
Source: Biographical dictionary of medallists; coin, gem, and seal-engravers, mint-masters, ancient and modern, with references to their works B.C. 500-A.D. 1900; compiled by L. Forrer, London 1904
Source: Biographical dictionary of medallists; coin, gem, and seal-engravers, mint-masters, ancient and modern, with references to their works B.C. 500-A.D. 1900; compiled by L. Forrer, London 1904
HOFFMANN, GEORG FRANZ
HOFFMANN, GEORG FRANZ (Austr.). Mint-engraver at Breslau ; brother of the Viennese Medallist Joh. Mich. Hoffmann, and father of Carl Conrad H. He worked at Oppeln, Brieg and Breslau. His initials G. H. occur on the Breslau Thalers of 1709 (Schulthess 413) and on numerous coins of Leopold I. (Schulthess 369, 370, 374). The period of his activity as an Engraver is comprised between circa 1660 and 1710. I have met with his signature G F H on a 1666 Thaler of Christian, Duke of Silesia-Liegnitz ; an...
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HOFFMANN, GEORG FRANZ (Austr.). Mint-engraver at Breslau ; brother of the Viennese Medallist Joh. Mich. Hoffmann, and father of Carl Conrad H. He worked at Oppeln, Brieg and Breslau. His initials G. H. occur on the Breslau Thalers of 1709 (Schulthess 413) and on numerous coins of Leopold I. (Schulthess 369, 370, 374). The period of his activity as an Engraver is comprised between circa 1660 and 1710. I have met with his signature G F H on a 1666 Thaler of Christian, Duke of Silesia-Liegnitz ; an...
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HOFFMANN, JACOB (2.)
HOFFMANN, JACOB (Germ.). Goldsmith of Nuremberg; died in 1564. Neudörffer states that he was an experienced Modeller, but Erman has not met with any medal by him, with the exception perhaps of a portrait of the artist himself, dated 1560, which stands alone in style and cannot be attributed to any of the known Medallists. Blanchet names this artist in his list of Nuremberg six- teenth century Medallists. "Hoffmann", says Bolzenthal, " was highly skilled in carving and casting counterfeits and co...
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HOFFMANN, JACOB (Germ.). Goldsmith of Nuremberg; died in 1564. Neudörffer states that he was an experienced Modeller, but Erman has not met with any medal by him, with the exception perhaps of a portrait of the artist himself, dated 1560, which stands alone in style and cannot be attributed to any of the known Medallists. Blanchet names this artist in his list of Nuremberg six- teenth century Medallists. "Hoffmann", says Bolzenthal, " was highly skilled in carving and casting counterfeits and co...
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HOFFMANN, JOHANN MICHAEL
HOFFMANN, JOHANN MICHAEL (Austr.). Mint-engraver at Vienna, from May 29 1680 to 1733. On a document of 1683 he is styled " kayserl. Siegel und Wappensteinschneider ". By him are the following coins and medals : Thalers and Half Thalers of various dates (Austrian currency); — Medal on the Siege of Vienna by the Turks (3 types); — Medal of 1685 on the War against the Turks ; — Thaler of Prince John Adolph von Schwarzenberg, 1682; — Thaler of Prince Ferdinand William Eusebius of Schwarzenberg, Land...
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HOFFMANN, JOHANN MICHAEL (Austr.). Mint-engraver at Vienna, from May 29 1680 to 1733. On a document of 1683 he is styled " kayserl. Siegel und Wappensteinschneider ". By him are the following coins and medals : Thalers and Half Thalers of various dates (Austrian currency); — Medal on the Siege of Vienna by the Turks (3 types); — Medal of 1685 on the War against the Turks ; — Thaler of Prince John Adolph von Schwarzenberg, 1682; — Thaler of Prince Ferdinand William Eusebius of Schwarzenberg, Land...
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HÖGH, WILHELM P. C.
HÖGH, WILHELM P. C. (Germ.). Ivory-carver, born in Hamburg, 1846 ; came to England, 1866. After having for some time devoted himself to the more commercial side of his art he afterwards, since 1876, applied himself to Miniature-sculpture and Carving of Portraits in ivory. Members of the Royal Family, the Nobility, and several Lord Mayors and City magnates are in possession of some of his most successful Carvings. Among his Statuettes may be mentioned : " Grace Darling "; — " Dick Whittington" ; ...
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HÖGH, WILHELM P. C. (Germ.). Ivory-carver, born in Hamburg, 1846 ; came to England, 1866. After having for some time devoted himself to the more commercial side of his art he afterwards, since 1876, applied himself to Miniature-sculpture and Carving of Portraits in ivory. Members of the Royal Family, the Nobility, and several Lord Mayors and City magnates are in possession of some of his most successful Carvings. Among his Statuettes may be mentioned : " Grace Darling "; — " Dick Whittington" ; ...
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