Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux (May 11, 1827 - October 12, 1875) was a famous French sculptor during the Second Empire, Napoleon III.
Born in Valenciennes. The son of a bricklayer took his first lessons from François Rude. In 1844 he entered the School of Fine Arts and won the Rome Prize in 1854. After moving to Rome in search of inspiration, he studied the works of Michelangelo, Donatello and Verrocchio there. While in Rome from 1854 to 1861, he developed a taste for movement and spontaneity, which he combined with the great principles of Baroque art. Karpier looked for real-life objects on the streets and broke with classical traditions. The sculptor made his debut at the Salon in 1853, presenting La Soumission dAbd-el-Kader alEmpereur, a plaster bas-relief that did not attract much attention. Carpier was an admirer of Napoleon III and accompanied him from city to city during Napoleon′s official trip to northern France. He finally managed to arrange a meeting in Amiens. Karpier soon got tired of academism and began to wander the streets of Rome. He spent his free time admiring Michelangelo′s frescoes in the Sistine Chapel. Karpier said: "When an artist feels pale and cold, he runs to Michelangelo to warm himself, as with the rays of the sun." While studying in Rome, he presented to the French Academy a plaster version of "Pêcheur napolitain à la coquille", "Fisherman of Naples". A few years later, he carved a marble version for display at the Salon in 1863. It was bought for the Empress Napoleon III Eugenie. The statue of a young smiling boy was very popular and Karpo created a number of reproductions and variations in marble and bronze. Like a copy in the collection of Samuel H. A few years later, he carved a girl with a shell, a similar sketch. In 1861 he made a bust of Princess Matilda, which subsequently earned him several commissions from Napoleon III. Then in 1866 he founded his own atelier to reproduce and make works on a larger scale. In 1866 he was awarded the Knight of the Legion of Honor.
He hired his brother as a sales manager and went out of his way to produce work that would appeal to a wider audience. On October 12, 1875, he died at the castle of Georges Barbou Stirbei at Bacon-le-Bruyere, near Courbevoie. Among his students were Jules Daloux, Jean-Louis Forein, and the American sculptor Olin Levi Warner.