Carpeaux at work at The Musée des Beaux-Arts, Lyon

Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux (1827-1875), the great sculptor of the Second Empire, is represented in the creative action. Standing, wearing a loose smock, he wields a clay ball, the other hand holds the first draft. A gavel rests his feet on the rough-hewn base. Bourdelle pays tribute to the artist and his work. He traveled several times to the workshop and Carpeaux imagine at work, focused on his model. In the nineteenth century, the sculpture is often synonymous with modeling.Bourdelle, who recently left the studio of his friend Rodin, then addresses the most fruitful years of his career. The idea came to him to represent Carpeaux probably of the order of a bust by amateur Jacques Doucet art. Bourdelle then realizes what length portrait, probably a unique cast, acquired the following year by the Museum of Fine Arts in Lyon.法兰西第二帝国时期的伟大雕塑家让-巴蒂斯特·卡尔波（Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux，1827-1875）的创作形象被定格于此作品中。他站姿舒展，身着宽松工装罩衫，一手握持黏土泥团，另一手托着创作初稿。一柄木槌置于他脚边的粗琢基座之上。安托万·布德尔（Bourdelle）以此作品致敬这位艺术家及其艺术生涯。他曾多次前往卡尔波的工作室，目睹其专注于创作原型的工作状态。在19世纪，雕塑创作常与泥塑造型互为同义概念。彼时刚脱离友人奥古斯特·罗丹（Rodin）工作室的布德尔，正处于其创作生涯中成果最为丰硕的阶段。创作卡尔波肖像的灵感，或许源自艺术爱好者雅克·杜塞（Jacques Doucet）订制一尊胸像的邀约。布德尔随后完成了这座全身肖像雕塑，其大概率为孤版铸品，并于次年被里昂美术博物馆（Museum of Fine Arts in Lyon）收藏。