Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse (French, 1824-1887)
Carrier-Belleuse’s apprenticeship in the applied arts began at thirteen in Paris. He continued at the Petite Ecole after an unhappy stint at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts. Here, he began his lifelong practice of providing statuettes and ornament for functional pieces in commercial houses. Around 1850, he moved to England as a designer for Minton China Works, Wedgewood, Coalbrookdale Ironworks, and Graham & Jackson furniture makers. Carrier-Belleuse found fame in France as an artist through completing portrait medallions, as well as busts with mythical and historical content. He produced three-dimensional work abundantly, including public monuments, allegorical reliefs for Parisian buildings, tombs for foreign heroes, and classicizing figures.
