Jacques Saly
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Jacques-François-Joseph Saly | |
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Académie de peinture et de sculpture | |
Known for | Sculpture |
Jacques François Joseph Saly, also known as Jacques Saly (20 June 1717 – 4 May 1776), French-born sculptor who worked in
Life
Training as a sculptor and early career
He was born in Valenciennes to François Marie Saly (1684–1776) and his wife Marie-Michelle Jardez (1690–1760). He began his training as a sculptor at nine years of age under local master Antoine Gilles in Valenciennes from 1726-1727. In spite of his parents' meager income, he was sent to Paris in 1732 to train in the studio of the leading sculptor at Paris,
Winning that last medal, first place in the
In 1742 he made a monumental portrait bust of
Return to Paris
He traveled back to his home via
Summons to Denmark
In 1752 Saly was commissioned to create a sculpture of King
In Copenhagen: The Academy
During the same period of time the
Saly was also instrumental in bringing his friend from the French Academy and the years in Italy, fellow-countryman and architect Nicolas-Henri Jardin, to the attention of King Frederik V as the suitable choice to replace Nicolai Eigtved for the design and building of Frederik's Church (Frederikskirke), now known as The Marble Church (Marmorkirken), work on which had begun in 1749. A contract to bring Jardin to Denmark was concluded on 12 October 1754, a few months after Eigtved's death, and Jardin took over Eigtved's professorship at the Academy.[6]
In Copenhagen: The King and his statue
Saly showed the king the first sketch of the equestrian statue on 4 December 1754. The king approved a sketch for the whole monument in August 1755. Then Saly began a thorough study of horses from the king's stalls. This resulted in a little model, which he showed the king in November 1758. Casts of this model are found in both the collection of the Academy and the State Collection, now the
Saly, after having set up an appropriate studio, carried out the work on the large model of the equestrian statue 1761-1763, and the plaster cast was presented to the Academy members on 3 February 1764. The king also saw this model. Preparations for the bronze casting took four more years, and Frenchman Pierre Gors did the casting on 2 March 1768. 1768 is officially considered the statue's completion date.
The base for the statue, however, was first deliverable in 1770, and the unveiling of the equestrian statue finally took place in the courtyard at Amalienborg Palace on 1 August 1771, five years after the King's death in 1766. It commands the site still to this day, and has been restored 1997-1998.
The end of his days in Copenhagen
Saly held the post of Academy Director until 15 July 1771, two weeks before the equestrian statue's unveiling. He quit in protest over a new set of rules that gave increased influence to native-born Danes. This all occurred during the reformist reign of Johann Friedrich Struensee,
Saly was named Knight of the
Saly, although no longer Director of the Academy, kept the apartment at Charlottenborg, from 1771 to at least 1774. During this time he tried to justify an additional sum from the Danish Asiatic Company for his extraordinary services on the monument to Frederik V, considering how much longer the statue took to complete than originally planned. He was not satisfied with the conclusion of his financial negotiations.
Return to Paris
He left for Paris along with his father on 2 July 1774; most of the other family members had died by this point. One of his two sisters had married a French sea officer in Danish service. Back in Paris in 1775 he could now bear the title of Knight. He was named Senior Professor at the French Academy in Paris 29 July 1775. Already seriously ill when he left Denmark, he died on 4 May 1776. He was buried at Saint-Germain l'Auxerrois.
Legacy
His artistic achievements are overshadowed by the monumental effort to create the equestrian statue of Frederik V of Denmark under the king's absolute rule. Saly's leading role at the Danish Academy of Art, during its early years helped establish the Academy as a force in art training not only in Scandinavia, but in Europe, and led the way to an emerging and strong Danish artist tradition.[8]
In addition to the other Academy memberships already mentioned, Saly was also member of the academies in Marseilles (1762) and St. Petersburg (1768).
His sculptures are in the collections of the
See also
- Art of Denmark
- Danish sculpture
References
- ^ "Jacques François Joseph Saly". Nordisk familjebok. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
- ^ "Jacques-François-Joseph Saly (1717 - 1776)". The Royal Academy Collection Gallery. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
- ^ "Jacques-François-Joseph Saly". Gran enciclopèdia catalana. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
- ^ Bent Sørensen. "Jacques François Joseph Saly". Kunstindeks Danmark & Weilbach Kunstnerleksikon. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
- ^ Emma Salling, V. Thorlacius-Ussing. "Jacques François Joseph Saly". Dansk Biografisk Leksikon, Gyldendal. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
- ^ Ulla Kjær. "Nicolas-Henri Jardin". Kunstindeks Danmark & Weilbach Kunstnerleksikon. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
- ^ Fernando, Real Academia de BBAA de San. "Saly, Jacques-François-Joseph - Estatua ecuestre de Federico V de Dinamarca". Academia Colecciones (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 January 2021.
- ^ Ph. Weilbach. "Jacques-François-Joseph Saly". Dansk biografisk Lexikon. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
- ^ "Jacques François Joseph Saly". National Gallery of Denmark. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
- ^ "Jacques François Joseph Saly". National Gallery of Art. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
- ^ "Jacques-François-Joseph Saly". The J. Paul Getty Trust. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
Other sources
- KID Kunst Index Danmark ("Art Index Denmark")
- Danish Biographical Encyclopedia ("Dansk biografisk Leksikion")
Related reading
- Henry Jouin (1896) Jacques Saly, de l'Acad. de peinture de Paris: sculpteur du voi de Danemark (Bureaux de la Gazette des Beaux-Arts)
- Bent Sorensen(1995) L'éléphant de Jacques François Joseph Saly (Gazette des beaux-arts)
External links
- Media related to Jacques Saly at Wikimedia Commons
- Jacques Saly in American public collections, on the French Sculpture Census website