LAURE DU MONCEAU

GUILLAUME GEEFS (1805-1883)
Belgian

Date : 1852

Dimensions : 65,5 cm (Height)

Material : White Carrara marble

Signature : “Gme-Geefs, Statuaire de S.M. le Roi des Belges. Brux : 1852”

Engraved on the back : “Laure Du Monceau, Bnne de Jannée ; Née à Bruxelles, le 7 mai 1829, Décédée le 20 9bre 1850”.

Trad. : “Laure Du Monceau, Baroness de Jannée; Born in Brussels, May 7, 1829, Deceased on 9bre 20, 1850.”

Biography
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Historical and artistic context

This remarkable white Carrara marble bust depicts Marie Louise Wilhelmine Laure Du Monceau, born in Brussels on May 7, 1829, who passed away prematurely in 1850 at the age of just 21. Her tragic fate, combined with her belonging to one of the great Belgian families of the 19th century, lends this work both an intimate and heritage significance.

The artist masterfully captures Laure’s youth and grace with remarkable sensitivity. Her face exudes a serene, almost melancholic expression, with features softened by a delicate and subtle modeling. The exceptionally precise hairstyle reflects the refinement of feminine fashion during the reign of Leopold I. The treatment of the drapery—enhanced by a finely sculpted fur-trimmed fabric—creates a striking contrast between the fluidity of the cloth and the density of the marble, demonstrating a technical virtuosity worthy of the finest portrait sculptors of the 19th century.

Beyond its aesthetic qualities, this bust stands as a true masterpiece of family heritage. Laure Du Monceau was the granddaughter of the renowned General Du Monceau. Her marriage in 1849 to Guillaume Antoine Ernest de Woot de Trixhe, Baron de Jannée, just one year before her untimely death, adds an emotional depth to this sculpture, which takes on the character of a memorial, executed posthumously. The work is signed: Gme – Geefs, Sculptor to His Majesty the King of the Belgians. Brussels: 1852.

Rich in history, this work embodies both artistic refinement and the enduring power of remembrance. It stands as a testament to the role of sculpted portraiture in the construction of aristocratic family memory and represents today a rare witness to a lesser-known facet of Belgian heritage.

Literature

  • ENGELEN, C. MARX, M. La Sculpture en Belgique à partir de 1830. Leuven: Engelen Marx, 2006. Volume III p. 1614 – 1624.
  • FRANZ HERRE, KAISERIN FRIEDRICH. Eine Engländerin in Deutschland. Stuttgart: Hohenheim Verlag, 2006.
  • VAN LENNEP, J., 1992, Catalogue de la sculpture: artistes nés entre 1750 et 1882. Brussels:Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium.