Les collections de modèles anatomiques équins de Louis Auzoux, une collection à constituer

Abstract

The Louis Auzoux collections of anatomical horse models. Doctor Louis Auzoux (1797-1880) is well known for the anatomical models he made in papier mâché, models that were exported throughout the world. The models of the human body had aesthetic qualities that made them especially appreciated, but they are not the only pieces that the industrialists designed and sold. Animals, plants and flowers in particular demonstrate other aspects of his art. Models of horses were of special significance for the firm. Its papier maché horses and its collections of bone defects and horses’ jaws were purchased in large numbers by the Ministry of War and used in regimental centres for training new recruits. These fascinating objects are a reflection of the programme that set out to improve horse-breeding in mid-nineteenth-century France. These collections which were diffused throughout the world and were a source of national pride are often badly damaged today, neglected and in danger of being lost.

Keywords

• horse
• Auzoux
• anatomical model
• papier mâché