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Etienne Maurice Falconet (1716-1791), a talented sculptor who could turn his hand with equal success to small figures of nymphs and country children and majestic monuments, was one of the first heads of the sculptural workshop at Sevres. Falconet's talent and tremendous craftsmanship enabled him to tackle subjects that were beyond his predecessors. A past master at conveying the nude female body, he selected compositions that enabled him to exploit that quality in porcelain sculpture. In 1757 the factory produced its first series of "Falconet's children". In these figurines of little pedlars, gardeners, vintners and tillers of the soil the sculptor managed to convey all the characteristic qualities of childhood. Known in St Petersburg as the creator of the "Bronze Horseman", the famous monument to Peter the Great that has become a symbol of the city, Falconet also produced many exquisite sculptures embodying in a fragile material what had previously been possible only in the finest marble. |
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