Le Génie gardant le secret de la tombe
Також відомий як: Le Génie gardant le secret de la tombe, le Génie gardant le secret de la tombe, le Génie, Génie gardant le secret de la tombe, Génie gardien du secret de la tombe, Genius Guarding the Secret of the Tomb
Overview
Le Génie gardant le secret de la tombe (1879) is the marble that made René de Saint-Marceaux famous: a youthful, wingless genius crouching over a tomb with a finger to his lips. It was shown at the Salon of 1879, and, according to one source consulted, won him a first-class medal. The marble is now in the Musée d'Orsay (RF 300; the old Luxembourg number LUX 93 shows it was in the Musée du Luxembourg); it measures 168 × 95 × 119 cm. English Wikipedia notes the strong influence of Michelangelo; it was exhibited in Vienna in 1882. Small reductions and studies exist (e.g. a bronze in Reims, an « étude » mask in terracotta). (Sources: Musée d'Orsay record via web search; Wikipedia, « René de Saint-Marceaux »; French Wikipedia, same article.)
Marie and the Génie
Marie went to the Musée du Luxembourg on 1 July 1883 and brought back from it « deux souvenirs, l'Agar et l'Esmal de Cazin et le Génie gardant le secret de la tombe de Saint-Marceaux » (100.0270). On 14 September 1883 she lists it with the Arlequin and the bust of Renan (101.0346). Her earlier remark of 16 May 1880 that the previous year's « médaille d'honneur » had « monté la tête » (088.0211) most probably refers to this work and its success at the Salon of 1879.