Quatres parties du monde, Fontaine de l'Observatoire

This painting is a preparatory study for Carpeaux's famous 'Fontaine de l'Observatoire,' one of the great public sculptures of Second Empire Paris, commissioned in 1867 and installed in the Luxembourg Gardens in 1874. The sculpture depicted four female figures representing the four continents supporting a celestial sphere; their sensuous, interlocked forms caused significant controversy when installed in public space. The Hood Museum of Art at Dartmouth College holds this painted study, likely made as part of the design process for the commission. Carpeaux's preparatory work for major sculptures often included painted compositions exploring figure arrangements and spatial relationships before committing to bronze. This painted study reveals the intimate connection between his painting and sculptural practice across his career.

Oil paint on canvas with the energetic, sketch-like handling characteristic of Carpeaux's preparatory work. The figures are developed with sculptural modeling — volumes and three-dimensional relationships — rather than the surface qualities more typical of pure painting.