BOUCHARDON

bouchardon, edme (1698-1762), french sculptor, was esteemed in his day the greatest sculptor of his time. born at chaumont, he became the pupil of guillaume coustou and gained the _prix de rome_ in 1722. resisting the tendency of the day he was classic in his taste, pure and chaste, always correct, charming and distinguished, a great stickler for all the finish that sand-paper could give. during the ten years he remained at rome, bouchardon made a striking bust of pope benedict xiii. (1730). in 1746 he produced his first acclaimed masterpiece, "cupid fashioning a bow out of the club of hercules," perfect in its grace, but cold in the purity of its classic design. his two other leading _chefs-d'oeuvre_ are the fountain in the rue de grenelle, paris, the first portions of which had been finished and exhibited in 1740, and the equestrian statue of louis xv., a commission from the city of paris. this superb work, which, when the model was produced, was declared the finest work of its kind ever produced in france, bouchardon did not live to finish, but left its completion to pigalle. it was destroyed during the revolution. among the chief books on the sculptor and his art are _vie d'edme bouchardon_, by le comte de caylus (paris, 1762); _notice sur edme bouchardon, sculpteur_, by e. jolibois (versailles, 1837); _notice historique sur edme bouchardon_, by j. carnandet (paris, 1855); and _french architects and sculptors of the 18th century_, by lady dilke (london, 1900).