Famous artwork moulds for sale

FANCY a Venus de Milo for the living room? Or a bust of Cicero or Napoleon to brighten up the living room?

More than 200 moulds of works of art are going under the hammer in Paris this evening, set to go for up to €1,500 a piece.

The auction is due to a clear out by the Réunion des musées nationaux whose workshop in Plaine-Saint-Denis has become full with more than 5,000 moulds.

The workshop was established by the Louvre in 1974 and the moulds, typically in plaster or resin, were cast to enable studies of the works by sculptor students.

Among them are the Venus de Milo, busts of Cicero, Caligula, Napoleon, Molière, Le Nôtre, Jefferson and Voltaire, who will be up for sale at the Maison de Saint Cyr in Chaillot, Paris.

The Réunion des musées nationaux workshop is still in action, creating replicas to stand on display while the originals are being restored, or working in collaboration with other artists for contemporary art displays.

You can browse the auction catalogue here.