Louis-Pierre Deseine

Louis-Pierre Deseine (1749–1822) was a French sculptor who is best known for producing portrait busts.

Deiseine received his training in several workshops, most notably with Augustin Pajou (1730-1809) who was also a highly skilled portrait bust sculptor who had won the Prix de Rome at the age of 18.

Deseine himself won the Prix de Rome in 1779 and went to study in Rome between 1781 and 1784. He exhibited a portrait bust of Pajou at the Salon in 1785 and was admitted to the Academie in 1791.

He worked from 1797-1789 producing statues for the Prince of Conde for his Chantilly chateau and this resulted in further commissions for portrait busts of the royal Bourbon family. He went into hiding during the French Revolution due to this relationship, but started exhibiting again at the Salon in 1798.

In 1814 he published a history of the ’Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture’ and described himself as a member of the Academies of Copenhagen, Berlin, Rouen and Bordeaux as well as holding the post of ‘first sculptor’ to the Prince of Conde.

He died in Paris in 1822.