Beau comme l'antique, vrai comme la nature

Lemaistre explains that the elaboration of a new sculptural style in the nineteenth century was strongly influenced by the static nature of the materials and the technical difficulties required in the production of large pieces. Marble, with its connection to antiquity, as well as its connotations of purity, unity, and restraint, was the preferred material for commissions under the First Empire and the Restoration. As a synonym for Beauty (beau comme l'antique), marble pieces modeled after the classical style were an integral part of the discourse on sculpture well beyond mid-century. Although the discovery of the Elgin marbles and the use of bronze after 1831 brought new life to sculptural practice, one can detect models from Antiquity even in clothed figures by sculptors of the new school like Rude or Duseigneur. In fact, the concept of the "True" (vrai comme la nature) as being as close to the living model as possible without resorting to moulages sur nature became central to the theorizing of both neoclassical and Romantic schools. (In French)