Paris, 1795 Salon, no. 1058 "Tête de Cérès, terre cuite".

Literature:
S. Lami, Dictionnaire des sculpteurs de l'école française au dix-huitième siècle, 1911 (reed. 1970), pp. 108-111; P. Sanchez, Dictionnaire des artistes exposant dans les salons des XVIIe et XVIIIe siècles à Paris et en province, 1673-1800, Dijon, 2004, p. 1140.

Related literature:
Joseph Charles Marin, exh. cat. Galerie Patrice Bellanger, Paris, 1992, p. 62; J. D. Draper, G. Scherf (dir.), L'esprit Créateur de Pigalle à Canova. Terres cuites européennes 1740-1840, exh. cat. musée du Louvre, 2003, pp. 150-151, no. 58. 

Overall the condition of this terracotta is very good with minor surface dirt, particularly in the crevices, consistent with age and handling.  A few minor chips and lacks to the leaves in her hair. The surface of the terracotta appears to have been cleaned . There are no signs of breaks to the interior except a slight firing crack on the proper left side consistent with the material. There are a few minor chips along the edges of the Herm bust and to the high points consistent with handling.  With two drilling holes (one on the top of her head and the other on the top of the wreath). Some parts of the wreath and the hair could have been reattached and the wash.  Very attractive terracotta.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

"Citizens, now is the time of year when the results of your talent are exhibited for the public to admire. Although the arts and their practitioners have suffered greatly, tyranny and vandalism has failed to extinguish them. The Republic still has consummate artists whom persecution has made dearer than ever before to the friends of the arts, and numerous supreme talents who promise to carry France's glory to great heights." This extract from a notice addressed to artists by the Commission d'Instruction Publique - manuscript of 7 Thermidor Year III (25th July 1795) - attests to the central role of the arts in a society in search of a new order (Bibliothèque nationale de France, ark:/12148/btv1b105237652?rk=85837;2).

At the 1795 Salon, Marin's bust of Cérès was a sign of the artistic changes taking place in France after the Reign of Terror, with a return to classical models that laid the foundations for Neoclassicism. This herm's meticulous construction and the goddess's stylised facial features are a marked contrast to the nymphs, bacchantes and other classical subjects in which Marin, like his master Clodion, had specialised until then. At a time when the country was rebuilding itself, he chose to sculpt an earth goddess as an allegory of abundance, of a fertile land on which a new society could be founded. Marin may have chosen iconography suited t⭕o the times but he did not entirely relinquish his delicate style. The traditionally severe classical style is softened by the highly ornamental crown of wheat and vines, the soft, wavy locks of hair and the goddess's seductively feminine breasts.

There are very few herms by Marin that we know of. As well as their unique classical construction, they are distinctively larger than his bacchantes or nymphs. One notable example is the herm Buste de Jeune Femme – signed, dated 1793 – sold by Sotheby's of London on 6th April 1995, lot 73 (height 43 cm). Another is the terracotta Cybèle in the Musée Cognacq-Jay, which is attributed to Marin and strikingly similar to our bust (inv. n° J 236 ; fig. 1). It is also a frontal view of another goddess of fertility - Cybèle. Her stylis🐼ed features, the symmetry of her hair underscored by the two bunches of grapes hanging from her crown on either side of her face, and the straight fringe that covers her brow are all similar to the elements found inܫ our terracotta bust.