Antoine Laurent Dantan, “Young Bather Playing with His Dog”, Marble, 1833, Louvre, Paris
Antoine Laurent Dantan, also known as ‘Dantan the Elder’ distinguishing from his younger brother also a sculptor, was born in Saint-Cloud, France, in December of 1798. He and his brother entered the studio of Francois-Joseph Bosio at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts at the same time in 1823. Antoine Dantan wone the Prix de Rome for sculpture in 1828.
Sculpted by Dantan during his stay in Rome, the “Young Bather Playing with His Dog” was exhibited at the Salon of 1835. The sculpture of marble, 1.05 meters in height, was purchased by the Louvre in 1835 and resides at the Department of Sculptures, Richelieu, on the ground floor of the Louvre.