This stone headstone with its bronze medallion marks Susan Durant's grave in Père Lachaise Cemetery, Paris, not far from where Triqueti himself is buried along with his wife and son. Durant, who after many years as his pupil and assistant, had also become Triqueti's lover, died in January 1873.
There are earlier versions of this medallion too, in plaster and marble. It seems to have been one of Triqueti's favourite subjects. Véronique Galliot-Rateau uses it as an example of works that he executed for his own pleasure, and repeated in different mediums. On a plaster version can be seen his fingerprint, and also compass circles drawn in green and red as he sought to perfect every element of the composition (50-51). Triqueti was perhaps dedicating this work to Durant.
The inscription above it on her gravestone, from Jeremiah 31, 16, is the hopeful one that "Thy works shall be rewarded." That verse starts, "Refrain thy voice from weeping and thine eyes from tears," and the next verse looks forward: "And there is hope in thine end...." Below however is the sad text so often found on Victorian monuments, "Thy will be done not mine" (Luke 22, 42), and the initials H.T.
Related Material
- Family tomb of Baron Henri de Triqueti, in the same cemetery (also with his own sculptural work)
First photograph by the author; second photograph kindly contributed” by Melanie Mclurg of Père Lachaise. You may use these images without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the photographer, and (2) link your document to this URL or credit the Victorian Web in a print document. Click on the images to enlarge them.
Bibliography
Galliot-Rateau, Véronique. Henry de Triqueti, 1803-1874, Sculpteur: Collection du Musée des Beaux-Arts d'Orléans. Amis des Musée d''Orléans / Musée des Beaux-Arts d'Orléans, 2009. [Review” by JB.]
Last modified 23 May 2016