Lachende Steine

Michaela Meise

"The title of the show Lachende Steine (Laughing Stones) refers to a series of sculptures of laughing people with clearly recognizable teeth. This natural laugh with subtly parted lips became quite popular for a short time during the 19th century, however in the classical canon, was generally viewed as ugly and frowned upon as a symbol of Vanitas."

Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux, Pêcheur napolitain à la coquille, 1857-after 1861

Washington, DC, National Gallery of Art, Samuel H. Kress Collection (1943.4.89)

Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington

"It was this sculpture which served as a starting point for Michaela Meise's research. In 1857, Carpeaux wrote a melodramatic letter to his parents in which he described his experiences during his travels through Italy, during which time he also completed the aforementioned sculpture. Carpeaux was one of the first artists in the 19th century to fiercely promote and supervise the duplication of his own sculptures. In particular, he had countless replicas of the popular figure of the “Neapolitan Fischerboy” produced in his studio, in different sizes, materials and other variations."