Etienne Maurice Falconet

Etienne Maurice Falconet (1716-1791) was a French sculptor working in both Baroque and Rococo styles. His statue created as a monument to Peter the Great (‘The Bronze Horseman’) created between 1766 and 78 is considered one of the best pieces of work of that type in St. Petersburg.

He was born to a poor family in Paris, but he was taken under the wing of the sculptor Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne who noticed his skill with creating clay figures. He became a member of the Academie des Beaux-Arts in 1754 with the success of his sculpture ‘Milo of Croton’’ He first came to public attention in the Paris Salon of 1755 and 1757 with his marble sculptures, ‘L’Amour (1754) and ‘Nymphe Descendant au Bain’ (1757) and soon began to enjoy royal and official patronage.

In 1757 Mme de Pompadour ensured he was appointed as the Director of sculpture for the new Royal porcelain factory at Sevres . He produced small sculptures of mythological figures such as Cupid and Venus and a series of nude female bathers, influenced by the suggestive paintings of Francois Boucher (1703-70). He designed small unglazed porcelain figurines that were designed to complement the grand dinner services produced by the factory. The fashion for this type of work soon swept Europe and other porcelain makers started to produce them.

In 1766, at the suggestion of his friend Denis Diderot, Catherine II of Russia summoned him to produce a bronze equestrian statue of Peter the Great. The statue was dedicated in 1782 and is considered one of the most original and powerful equestrian portraits of the era.

He left Russia in 1778 and had a debilitating stroke soon after which left him unable to sculpt.