Abstract
In 1874, Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux’s (1827-1875) Les Quatre Parties du monde soutenant la sphère céleste (The Four Parts of the World Supporting the Celestial Sphere), also referred to as the Fontaine des quatre-parties-du-monde (Fountain of the Four Parts of the World), was installed at the southern end of the Luxembourg Gardens in Paris (Figure 1). By interrogating the Fontaine’s site and iconography vis-à-vis the Second French Empire, this paper demonstrates that the monument celebrated science as constitutive of French statecraft and empire-building and signaled the institutional relationship of science and politics that justified and support-ed French colonialism. Thus, the Fontaine reveals itself to be a powerful expression and agent of Napoléon III’s regime, as well as an embodiment of its contradictions; beneath the façade of objective and unbiased scientific empiricism, the Second Empire outwardly championed progressive ideals as it built and sustained itself on imperial and racial conservatism.
Highlights
MIA HAFER ◊ Indices in Ivory: Inspiring Affective Piety with a Walrus Ivory Christ SONIA DIXON ◊ Reexamining Syncretism in Late Antique Iconography of a Vault Mosaic ANGELICA VERDUCI ◊ Sight, Sound, and Silence at the Oratorio of San Bernardino in Clusone HOYON MEPHOKEE ◊ At the Center of the Globe: Empiricism and Empire in Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux’s Fontaine des Quatres-Parties-du-monde JORDAN HILLMAN ◊ Embodying Violence, Manipulating Space: The Irony of Valloton’s Police States
In 1874, shortly before Carpeaux’s death, the Fontaine was installed at the Luxembourg Gardens, where it stands today
By interrogating the Fontaine’s site and iconography visà-vis the Second French Empire, this paper demonstrates that the monument celebrated science as constitutive of French statecraft and empire-building and signaled the institutional relationship of science and politics that justified and supported French colonialism
Summary
Cosmic over or Athanor from Annibal Barlet, Le Vray Cours de Physique, Paris, 1653. Cover: Crucified Christ, ca. 1300, walrus ivory with traces of paint and gilding, 7 9/16 x 2 1/16 x 1 3/8 in., Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY, USA. 1300, walrus ivory with traces of paint and gilding, 7 9/16 x 2 1/16 x 1 3/8 in., Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY, USA. Photo Credit: Metropolitan Museum of Art. MIA HAFER ◊ Indices in Ivory: Inspiring Affective Piety with a Walrus Ivory Christ SONIA DIXON ◊ Reexamining Syncretism in Late Antique Iconography of a Vault Mosaic ANGELICA VERDUCI ◊ Sight, Sound, and Silence at the Oratorio of San Bernardino in Clusone HOYON MEPHOKEE ◊ At the Center of the Globe: Empiricism and Empire in Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux’s Fontaine des Quatres-Parties-du-monde JORDAN HILLMAN ◊ Embodying Violence, Manipulating Space: The Irony of Valloton’s Police States. Günther Stamm Prize for Excellence Mia Hafer was awarded the Günther Stamm Prize for Excellence for “Indices in Ivory: Aspiring Affective. Piety with a Walrus Ivory Christ” presented at the 2021 Art History Graduate Student Symposium
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