André Chenier's Muse

myminifactory

In 1888, Denys-Pierre Puech showcased his plaster rendition of Muse d'André Chenier at the Paris Salon (no. 4554), which caught the attention of the state. The government commissioned a marble version of the sculpture, which was displayed at the exhibition the following year (no. 4839) and later installed in the Musée du Luxembourg. André Chenier, a renowned royalist poet, was brutally executed by guillotine during the final days of Robespierre's reign of terror. It was during his 141-day imprisonment in St Lazare prison before his execution that Chenier met Anne Francoise-Aimée de Franquetot de Coigny, the woman who became his muse, and whom Puech has depicted cradling the poet's head with her hair in this sculpture. Puech was a student of Falguiere, Chapu, and Dubois.