Quick Facts
Biography
Francisque Joseph Duret (French pronunciation: [fʁɑ̃sisk ʒɔzɛf dyʁɛ]) (19 October 1804 – 26 May 1865) was a French sculptor, son and pupil of François-Joseph Duret (1732–1816).
Life and career
He also studied under Bosio, and won the Prix de Rome in 1823. In 1833 he exhibited his Neapolitan Fisher Dancing the Tarantella, now in the Louvre, a spirited statue in bronze, which established his reputation. In the same class is his Neapolitan Improvisatore (1839, Leipzig Museum). His works executed for public buildings include: France Protecting her Children (1855), a group in the grand style for the Louvre; two bronze caryatids for the tomb of Napoleon in the Invalides; a colossal Christ in the church of the Madeleine; the statues of Comedy and Tragedy for the Théâtre Français; marble statues of Dunois, Philippe of France, Chateaubriand, and Richelieu at Versailles; and the group for the Fontaine Saint-Michel, representing that saint wrestling with Satan.
He received the medal of honor in 1855, was an Officer in the Legion of Honor, and was made a member of the Institut de France in 1845. As professor in the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, he was more influential through his teaching than through his works. Among his students was Louis-Léon Cugnot.