Portrait-charge de Louis-Hector Berlioz (1803-1869), compositeur

Dantan, Jean Pierre (dit Dantan Jeune), né en 1800 à Paris, décédé en 1869 à Baden Baden

Remembered above all for his caricatures, the sculptor Jean-Pierre Dantan, known as Dantan the Younger, also made more traditional portraits. The extensive set of over 800 works donated by the heirs of Dantan in 1888, comprising both caricatures and more “serious” portraits, makes the Carnavalet collection a reference for this innovative sculptor. It reflects a variety of subjects, most notably the caricatures of contemporary celebrities, in particular from the world of the performing arts. Dantan the Younger boasted of being able to capture the features of a face in just a few moments. Here, under a mop of hair, we can easily recognize Hector Berlioz. With his untamed curls and lush sideburns, the composer embodies the attributes of the romantic artist. Like most of Dantan’s sculptures, the base bears a rebus that forms the name of the person portrayed. Here the syllable “ber” and the representation of a bed ("lit” in French) indicate Berlioz.