Victor Sappey

Victor Sappey
Born	(1801-02-11)11 February 1801 Grenoble, Isère, France
Died	23 March 1856(1856-03-23) (aged 55)
Other names	Pierre-Victor Sappey

Victor Sappey (11 February 1801, Grenoble - 23 March 1856), also known as Pierre-Victor Sappey, was a French sculptor.

Career

In 1824, Sappey worked in Rogge's workshop in Paris before living in Egypt for two years with his friend Jean Achard and a group of St. Simonians. He was among the first sculptors to use cement as a sculptural material. This can be seen in the statue "Génie des Alpes" in Uriage-les-Bains; though the original was destroyed, a model is kept at Musée dauphinois. Sappey was professor and later director at the École des Beaux-Arts de Grenoble. In addition to his sculptures, Sappey was also known for his caricatures.

Personal life

Sappey was a friend of Théodore Ravanat and Henri Fantin-Latour, and was close to all members of the École dauphinoise that he attended in Proveysieux. He was also the father-in-law of the Grenoble sculptor Aimé Charles Irvoy (1824–1898), who had once been his student. His father was a stonemason.

Selected works

In Grenoble, France

• "Le Drac" - terra cotta, 1833. It was named after the Drac. The Museum of Grenoble purchased it in 1856.
• "Fontaine des dauphins" - stone. Also known as "Château d'eau de la Valette," this was erected as a tribute to former Grenoble mayor Marquis de Lavalette. Nadon created the fountain while Sappey created the cherubs and dolphins.
• "Le serpent et le dragon" - stone and bronze, 1843. This fountain, located near the Saint-Laurent Bridge, was created following severe flooding. The lion symbolizes the city defeating the snake, or the Isère River.
• Alexandre Michal-Ladichèr - plaster, 1836. Acquired by the Museum of Grenoble in 1885.
• Self-portrait - terra cotta. At the Museum of Grenoble.
• Jacques de Vaucanson - plaster. Bust. At the Museum of Grenoble.
• "L'Enfant au poisson; La Pêche" - marble, 1849. At the Museum of Grenoble.
• "L'Isère" - terra cotta, 1835. Statuette. At the Museum of Grenoble.
• "La Mort de Lucrèce" - plaster, 1828. High-relief. At the Museum of Grenoble.
• "Le Géant des Alpes" - cement. 5 metres (16 ft) statue. This was destroyed but the Musée dauphinois has a model.
• Louis-Joseph Vicat - 1855. Bust. At the Museum of Grenoble.
• Monument to General Marchand - 1851. Tombstone. At Saint Roch Cemetery.
• Monument to Mrs Recoura - marble, 1855. Tombstone. At Saint Roch Cemetery.

• 
  Le serpent et le dragon
• 
  Le serpent et le dragon
• 
  Fontaine des dauphins
• 
  Fontaine des dauphins
• 
  Mort de Lucrèce
• 
  Le Drac

Elsewhere

• Chambéry: "Fontaine des éléphants" - bronze and cast iron, 1838. This was erected in honour of General Benoît de Boigne, a generous donor to the town, and specifically references his achievements in India.
• Uriage-les-Bains: "Fontaine de la nymphe" - stone, 1847. Also known as "Fontaine de la déesse Hygie." Depicts the goddess Hygieia.
• Valence, Drôme: Statue Jean-Étienne Championnet - bronze, 1848. The monument was restored in 2002.
• Voreppe: Amable Rome tombstones - stone. Tombstones created for Dr. Amable Rome and his son.

• 
  Fontaine des éléphants
• 
  Fontaine des éléphants
• 
  Statue Jean Étienne Vachier Championnet
• 
  Le Géant des Alpes

References

• Maurice Wantellet, Deux siècles et plus de peinture dauphinoise, edited by the author