In the 1700s and 1800s, sculptors frequently used terra-cotta (fired clay) to make preliminary versions of sculptures, called maquettes, as well as small-scale finished figures. These intimate works, often made from live models, reveal traces of an artist’s process. The High’s collection of French terra-cottas includes works by Pierre-Eugène-Émile Hébert, François Rude, and Louis-Claude Vassé.
Claudia Einecke
Frances B. Bunzl Family Curator of European Art