Life-size statue of the nymph Amalthée and Zeus’ goat

In the 19th century, few sculptors worked directly on stone or marble… Instead, they were “modelers”. They generally used plaster to give shape to a creation straight out of their imagination, then entrusted the carving to specialists. Sculptures are therefore often signed by both the master sculptor and the specialists commissioned to carve them. Plaster modelling enables master sculptors to present their creations at an exhibition and ensure their success before producing the final version in marble, stone or bronze.

A distinction is made between ” modeling “of a plaster sculpture, which has been created by hand by the master sculptor, from a ” molding “in plaster. On the contrary, it requires a pre-existing original model to be molded in order to reproduce it, for example.

Our plaster sculpture ofAmalthée and Zeus’ goat is an original hand-modelled plaster by an unidentified artist. The use of plaster makes the artist’s gestures more apparent, enabling him to accentuate the smallest naturalistic details, thus reinforcing the nymph’s human side.