0321 Unauthorized Plaster Casts at the Louvre's Atelier de Moulage under the Direction of Eugène-Denis Arrondelle (1880–1907)

Abstract

This article investigates the production of plaster casts at the Atelier de Moulage du Musée du Louvre under the direction of moulder and sculptor Eugène-Denis Arrondelle between 1880 and 1907. This chef d’atelier engaged in dubious practices, producing casts to which patinas were added without authorization, or selling casts made using the resources of the Louvre workshop as products of his private studio. Some of Arrondelle’s unauthorized surmoulages could even be considered forgeries when he marketed them as direct casts of Louvre artworks. As a manufacturer of plaster casts, the Louvre thus was unwittingly exposed to competition with its own head of workshop. This case study allows us to explore the notion of authorship and authenticity in plaster casts and to highlight how commercial dynamics affected these concepts.