Rating and value of sculptures and busts from the First Empire

If you own a First Empire sculpture, and would like to know its value, our state-approved experts and auctioneers will offer you their appraisal services. Our specialists will carry out a free appraisal of your object, and provide you with a precise estimate of its value on today's market. Then, if you wish to sell your work, we'll guide you towards the best possible means of obtaining the optimum price. The price of the work can vary greatly depending on the artist's identification, its state of conservation, its school or even the subject represented.

Rating and value of First Empire sculptures  

First Empire sculptures and busts are pieces that are often presented at auction. The price at which they sell on the art and auction market ranges from €20 to €780,000, a considerable delta but one that says a lot about the value that can be attributed to your sculptures. Their value has risen sharply in recent years, with the most sought-after works being busts of the Emperor Napoleon I. In 2022, a marble bust of Napoleon Bonaparte (made when he was still a general after the Italian campaign) sold for €220,000, while it was estimated at between €138,000 and €208,000.

Order of value ranging from the simplest, unidentified sculpture to the most prestigious

Reasons to have a First Empire sculpture appraised

If you own a bust or sculpture from this period, you may be unaware of its value. Indeed, even if the work is not signed, it is possible in some cases to identify the artist. If the artist is listed on the auction market, the price can rise very quickly. It is also possible that the artist is not identifiable and that only the school of the sculpture can be known.

Sculptural and stylistic characteristics under the First Empire  

Under the First Empire, sculpture is a major technique that we sometimes tend to forget, with painting taking up much of the art history of the period. Yet it was a major turning point, as Neoclassicism died out at around the same time as the First Empire. Representation of the body à l'Antique, mythological subjects, series of busts in effigy of the Emperor : sculpture excelled under the First Empire and revived academic canons one last time. Marble was the preferred material during this period, particularly for making busts, but bronze was also widely used by artists such as Barye or Carrier-Belleuse.

Last survival of classicism 

Sculpture played a major role in artistic production in the early 19th century. Intrinsically linked to the imperial regime established by Consul Bonaparte, sculpture was to evolve with it. He advocated a return to Antiquity in his way of governing, first by having himself crowned, and then by using the antique symbols of the greatest Emperors. As early as the Egyptian campaign, he was portrayed as a thaumaturge sovereign, later wearing the laurel wreath formerly worn by Caligula and Hadrian. The iconographic elements were ready-made, and so were the subjects of the works.

Legends from Greek and Roman mythology were to make up a large part of the sculptural production of the period. Antoine Louis Barye would take up Theseus and the Minotaur, while James Pradier would sculpt Les Trois Grâces. The beginnings of Romanticism are more visible in sculpture, the artists' antique inspirations being more expressive and above all always preserved, unlike painters who reinvent a current. We need only refer to the Laocoon group, which depicts faces frozen in fear and pain.

Sculpture at the service of imperial propaganda

If so many busts from this period are presented at auction today, it's because control of the arts, as well as extensive propaganda, was instituted as early as the Consulate. This phenomenon obviously took place not only in painting, but also - a return to Antiquity obliges - in sculpture. Artists such as Eugène Guillaume, Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux, Martin Biennais or Louis-Simon Boizet would devote part of their careers to producing busts of the Emperor or those close to him, whom he placed at the head of various countries in Europe. Joseph Chinard notably produced busts of the Empress Eugénie, while a few also depict L'Aiglon, Napoleon Bonaparte's son and King of Rome, helping to promote the imperial oligarchy.

The majority of busts produced up to 1814 logically featured the Emperor, according to carefully chosen stylistic characteristics. He is depicted beardless, with his attributes of power, relatively thick hair and prominent features ;: he takes his model from Alexander, who had himself given these directives to his official portraitist, Lysippe ; and had thus upset the canons of ancient sculpture as far as busts are concerned. Today, this artistic production is in great demand at auction, and the results these works achieve are constantly increasing.

Know the certain value of your sculpture   

If you happen to own a bust or sculpture from the First Empire, or think you might, don't hesitate to request a free appraisal using our form on our website. A member of our team of experts and chartered auctioneers will contact you promptly to provide you with an estimate of the market value of your work, as well as any relevant information about it. If you wish to sell your product, you will also be accompanied by our specialists in order to benefit from alternatives to sell it at the best possible price, taking into account the inclinations of the market.