Les Quatre Parties du monde…

"Les Quatre Parties du Monde soutenant la Sphère Céleste" (The Four Parts of the World Supporting the Celestial Sphere) is a sculptural group by the French sculptor Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux. It is a decorative element located in the Parisian building of the Opéra Garnier and was created between 1863 and 1869. The work is one of Carpeaux's most famous and represents the four continents: Europe, America, Africa, and Asia, each holding up the celestial sphere. Not only are the four allegories dancing in a ring, but they are also revolving on the spot. Europe scarcely touches the ground, Asia, with her long pigtail, is seen almost from the back, Africa is in a three-quarter view and America, wearing a feather headdress, is facing the spectator but her body is turned to the side. This taste for movement is one of the features of Carpeaux's art. His passionate nature was quite the contrary of Neoclassic serenity. The piece is considered one of the highlights of French 19th-century sculptural decoration and a masterpiece of Carpeaux's career.