Presented by Signature Partner
Feb 25, 2025
The Antique Pottery Painter: Sculpturæ vitam insufflat pictura
Jean-Léon Gérôme’s painting questions what’s real and what’s not
Jean-Léon Gérôme. The Antique Pottery Painter: Sculpturæ vitam insufflat pictura, 1893. oil on canvas, Overall: 50.1 x 68.8 cm. Art Gallery of Ontario. Gift from the Junior Women's Committee Fund, 1969. Photo © AGO. 69/31
For this month’s RBC Art Pick, we turn our attention to The Antique Pottery Painter: Sculpturæ vitam insufflat pictura (1893), an oil on canvas painting by French painter and sculptor Jean-Léon Gérôme (1824-1904).
In this behind-the-scenes look at a fictional artist’s studio, a woman is seated and surrounded by objects and artworks on the left side of the canvas. She holds a small figurative sculpture in one hand and in the other, a thin paintbrush. On the table in front of her is a row of other small figurative sculptures painted in bright colours. On the right side of the canvas, another woman stands facing a large shop window as she sells artworks to passerby shoppers in the courtyard. There are many different works placed around the studio including sculptures, paintings and masks.
Did you know that the many sculptures scattered within the painting are works by Gérôme? The small replicas on the table are of The Hoop Dancer (1891), which was his most popular and widely reproduced sculpture. Gérôme’s other work Tanagra (1890), a larger sculpture of a seated woman with a miniature The Hoop Dancer in her hand, also makes an appearance in this painting near the shop window on the right side. On the shelves behind the seated painter is a mix of Tanagra figurines, some invented by the artist and others based on works he studied in the Louvre. On the shelf, you can spot two reproductions of Gérôme’s works: the undressing Queen Rodophe from his painting of King Candaules (1861) and Bellona (1890) – a figure with her arms raised as she gives a battle call.
Sculpturæ vitam insufflat pictura, the painting’s title, translates into in English as “painting breathes life into sculpture”. The painter in the artwork breathes life into the figurines on the table, becoming so still that she appears to turn to marble. “The interplay between life and art is the central message of the painting,” writes Caroline Shields, Curator, European Art at the AGO. “In the act of painting sculpture, this pottery painter breathes life into them.”
Through his art, Gérôme created highly detailed illusions luring viewers into believing that what he painted was real. He was known for his hyper realistic imagery using fine brushwork. A nod to the notion of art versus artifice, on the ground is a chest filled with theatre masks. The artist playfully added his signature on the side of the chest. Playing on the intersection between reality and imitation, he also paints the women shoppers in the background wearing Tanagran hats, the same hats that appear on the sculpture figurines.
An influential 19th century artist and sculptor, Gérôme’s works all boast meticulous attention to detail, effectively pulling viewers into their narratives. He became famous for his artworks depicting mythological and historical scenes, as well as portrayals of the Middle East. Gérôme was one of the most popular and sought-after artists of his time; he received honours and awards across Europe, his paintings achieved record-breaking sale prices, and as a professor at the prestigious École des Beaux-arts, he trained thousands of students.
Find this painting on view on Level 1 in the Carol Tanenbaum Gallery (gallery 116), at the AGO as part of the exhibition Steam: Impressionist Painting Across the Atlantic.
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