PREAULT, pra-6, Antoine-Augnste, French sculptor: b. Paris, 8 Oct. 1809; d, there, 11 Jan. 1879. He began his art studies with a decided tendency toward romanticism and en tered the studio of David d'Angers, but soon left it and ever afterward aimed at a naturalistic treatment of art themes. This was proved by the first works he exhibited at the Salon (1833) —'Misery,' a group representing a girl dying in the arms of her mother; and two reliefs, 'Death of the Poet Gilbert in Hospital) and 'Famine.' In the following years he ex hibited numerous works, among them the statue (Undine); and the relief 'River Ama zon); 'Queen of Sheba); a sitting figure of Hecuba; the colossal statue 'Charlemagne); and the statue 'Carthage.' None of these works were admitted to the Salon, but in 1849 the opinion of his merits had changed and the doors of the exhibition in the Champs Ely sees were opened to him. After this he was
represented there by his
on the
(now in the church of Saint Gervais)the relief
• the statue of
Marceau) at Chartres; the statuette
Comedy' ; and many other works, amongst which there were many sepulchral monuments. The most famous of these, perhaps, is
; now in the Pere-Lachaise cemetery. As a sculptor his workmanship was fine, but he sometimes failed to control his fancy and strong feeling for realistic form within that reserve and restraint prescribed by the canons of strictly plastic art. He was a tireless worker and one of the most ardent and power ful representatives of the new realistic school of sculpture. Consult Chesneau, E., (Auguste Preault) (in
Vol. XVII, p. 3, Paris 1879) ; Chesneau, E.,