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Bas-relief of a large vessel with handles and two bacanallian genies in terra cotta

Louise Laffon

1864

photographic

From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum

Impressionism Realism Late 19th Century

Dominant colour

Bas-relief of a large vessel with handles and two bacanallian genies in terra cotta is a 1864 photographic by Louise Laffon, a Impressionism work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.

Who painted this?: Louise Laffon
When & what style?: 1864 · Impressionism
Where can I see it?: Victoria and Albert Museum

About this work

This is a photograph of a terra cotta bas-relief from 1863-1864. It shows a large vessel with handles and two bacchanalian genies. Louise Laffon made it. Photography at the Victoria and Albert Museum goes back to 1852—it was the first museum to collect and exhibit photos. The museum used images like this one to help artists and students study forms. Look up the Victoria and Albert Museum.

The story of this work

Overview

The Victoria and Albert Museum holds an 1864 albumen print by Louise Laffon depicting a terra cotta bas-relief of a large vessel with handles, accompanied by two bacchanalian genies. The photograph is part of a series of 500 works purchased by the museum from Laffon, documenting objects from the Campana Collection at the Musée Napoléon III in Paris. The print features a gilded mount bearing the gender-neutral stamp "L. Laffon" and the studio name "Photographie Lord Byron." The series includes documentation of architecture, sculpture, ornamentation, and marble in addition to terra cotta works.

Read the full account in the museum source.

About the artist

Artist

Louise Laffon

Louise Laffon (1828–1885), was a French photographer and painter. She was one of the first female professional photographers in France. She had a studio in Paris between 1859 and 1876.

See the richer artist page