Artwork
Bas-relief portion of friez of fleur de lys in terra cotta
Bas-relief portion of friez of fleur de lys in terra cotta is a photographic photography by the Impressionist artist Louise Laffon. It dates from 1864 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum. The image is a photographic reproduction of a terra‑cotta bas‑relief frieze depicting a series of fleurs‑de‑lys.
About this work
It was the first museum to show them publicly, and Louise’s work fits right into that early display.
Louise Laffon made a terra cotta photograph in 1863–64. It shows a frieze of fleurs-de-lys in low relief. The piece sits within Impressionist and Realist circles of the time.
The Victoria and Albert Museum has collected photographs since 1852. It was the first museum to show them publicly, and Louise’s work fits right into that early display.
If you like this mix of sculpture and photo, look up the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Overview
The image is a photographic reproduction of a terra‑cotta bas‑relief frieze depicting a series of fleurs‑de‑lys. Executed in 1863–64, the photograph captures the low‑relief sculpture in fine detail, illustrating the early use of photography to document three‑dimensional decorative arts.
Subject & Meaning
The frieze presents a repetitive ornamental motif of the fleur‑de‑lys, a stylised lily historically associated with French heraldry. As a decorative element, it reflects the 19th‑century fascination with historicist ornament and the revival of medieval symbols in architectural ornamentation.
Technique & Style
The photograph was produced by Louise Laffon, a French practitioner active in the 1860s. Using the photographic processes available at the time, she rendered the shallow relief with a clear tonal range that emphasizes the sculptural depth and surface texture of the terra‑cotta material.
History & Provenance
Louise Laffon, the third woman admitted to the Société Française de la Photographie, created the image while documenting objects from the Campana Collection in Paris. In 1864 the Victoria and Albert Museum acquired a batch of 500 of her photographs through the dealer Monsieur E. Cappe, incorporating them into its early photographic holdings.
Context
The work belongs to a period when the Victoria and Albert Museum, then the South Kensington Museum, was pioneering the collection and exhibition of photographs—beginning in 1852 and publicly displaying them from 1858. Henry Cole, the museum’s founding director, promoted photography as an educational resource for artists and scholars, encouraging contributions from both in‑house and independent photographers like Laffon.
Artist & collection
Artist
Louise Laffon (1828–1885), was a French photographer and painter. She was one of the first female professional photographers in France. She had a studio in Paris between 1859 and 1876.
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