Misery at the Jardin des Tuileries, Paris

myminifactory

This sculpture, titled La misère, was crafted by Jean-Baptiste Hugues, a Marseille native born into modest circumstances. He honed his sculpting skills in his hometown under the tutelage of Antoine Bontoux (1805-1892) before relocating to Paris to study under Augustin Dumont (1801-1884) and Jean-Marie Bonnassieux (1810-1892). Hugues's artistic prowess earned him second prize at the Prix de Rome in 1872, a feat he repeated in 1873. In 1875, his plaster bas-relief, "Homer, accompanied by his young guide, sings his poems in a city of Greece," secured him the prestigious Grand Prix de Rome for sculpture. From 1876 to 1879, Hugues was a resident at the Villa Medici in Rome, where he began submitting his works to the Paris Salon and garnering recognition with each passing year. His breakthrough came in 1882 when "Oedipus at Colonus" earned him a first-class medal at the Salon. Hugues's subsequent triumphs include a gold medal at the Universal Exhibitions of 1889 and 1900, as well as his appointment as modeling professor at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris in 1897 and member of the Higher Education Council in 1905. This object is part of "Scan The World", a non-profit initiative launched by MyMiniFactory. Scan The World aims to create a digital archive of fully 3D printable sculptures, artworks, and landmarks from around the globe for public access at no cost. This endeavor is an open-source community effort, inviting individuals to contribute by emailing stw@myminifactory.com with interesting items they'd like to share.