LEMOYNE, Jean-Baptiste II
(b. 1704, Paris, d. 1778, Paris)

Bust of Réaumur

1751
Terracotta, height 24 cm
Musée du Louvre, Paris

It is the play of features which makes the terracotta bust of Reaumur outstanding even among Lemoyne's varied, mimetic achievements. The expression is seized in a positive rictus, the lower half of the face bitten deep into by a trench of wrinkle running down either side of the nose, while the eyes are wide-open and staring. All has been caught as if by flashlight photography, but the vitality persists from whatever angle the bust is studied.

Antoine Ferchault de Réaumur (1683-1757) was a physicist. He carried out research in metallurgy and glass-making, and produced a major work on entomology. His thermometer (with spirit instead of mercury) has 80 degrees between the freezing-point and boiling-point.