La Mère de Möise by Baron Henri de Triqueti (1803-74). 1867. Plaster.
This is a maquette for a bas-relief for the panel about Moses, for the decoration of the Albert Memorial Chapel at Windsor Castle. Although Triqueti's work often features the young, he seems to have been particularly haunted by this moment of heartbreaking loss as the mother gently kisses the still-sleeping infant for the last time, before letting his basket float away into the Nile. At first sight this makes such a huge contrast with his grim panels illustrating the Ten Commandments on the doors of the Madeleine. After all, those were intended to drive home the need for law and order, while these were intended to reflect the grief at the death of Prince Albert. However, many examples of Triqueti's ability to catch the poignant moment are to be seen in the Madeleine panels as well.
Photograph and text by Jacqueline Banerjee, 2009/10. Photograph taken by kind permission of the Musée Girodet, Montargis.]
Bibliography
Galliot-Rateau, Véronique. Henry de Triqueti, 1803-1874, Sculpteur: Collection du Musée des Beaux-Arts d'Orléans. Orléans: Musée des Beaux-Arts D'Orléans, 2009.
Ribner, Jonathan P. Broken Tablets: The Cult of the Law in French Art from David to Delacroix. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1993. Available offsite here. (See Chapter 4.)
Rykner, Didier. "Henry de Triqueti (1803-1874)." This site relates to a major exhibition of Triqueti's work in France in 2007/8.
Last modified 6 May 2010