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Bas-relief portion of a frieze of a battle with griffons and amazons in terra cotta

Louise Laffon

1864

photographic

From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum

Impressionism Realism Late 19th Century History Painting

Dominant colour

Bas-relief portion of a frieze of a battle with griffons and amazons 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 small terra cotta relief showing a battle between griffons and Amazons. Louise Laffon made it in 1863–64 as a photograph. The piece is part of early museum efforts to use photos for art study. The Victoria and Albert Museum started collecting photographs in 1852. It was the first museum to both collect and display them. Their goal was to help artists and students learn. Want to see more early photo work? Look up the Victoria and Albert Museum.

The story of this work

Overview

This terra cotta bas-relief fragment, part of a frieze depicting a battle between griffons and Amazons, was photographed by Louise Laffon in 1864 as part of a series documenting objects from the Campana Collection at the Musée Napoléon III. The Victoria and Albert Museum acquired 500 albumen prints from this series, including this image, through the Parisian agent Monsieur E. Cappe. Laffon’s photographs were originally presented on gilded mounts bearing the gender-neutral signature "L. Laffon" and the studio name "Photographie Lord Byron." The series served educational and administrative…

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