176 Marcelle Renée Lancelot-Croce (1854-1938), 1894 Bronze plaque representing Woman and her Destinies Marcelle Renée Lancelot-Croce (1854 - 1938), 1894 A bronze plaque representing La Femme et ses destinées Signed and dated 'Marcelle Lancelot - Croce . /1894', at the exergue in a cartouche 'LA FEMME ET SES DESTINEES' and from left to right at the exergue of each part 'EPOVSE / MERE / VEVVE', 76cm wide, 52cm high (29 1/2in wide, 20in high) A similar plaque is conserved at the Musée d'Orsay, Paris (MEDOR 790). Female artist - sculptor and medallist Marcelle Renée Lancelot (1854-1938) came from a family of artists. She began her apprenticeship with her father Dieudonné Lancelot (1822-1894), a lithographer, then joined the workshops of Hubert Ponscarme (1827-1903) and Eugène Delaplanche (1831-1891). Not only did she have the talent to model in bas-relief, but also to carve steel into medals. She exhibited at the Salon des artistes français as early as 1878. In 1888, she received an honourable mention for her portraits. In 1889, she took part in the Exposition Universelle and won an honorable mention, then a third-class medal at the Salon. Her talent and the prizes she won enabled her to obtain a travel grant, a first for a woman. In 1890, she went to Italy and stayed in Rome. It was during this trip that she met the Italian sculptor Leonardo Croce (1852-1934), whom she married in 1892. She continued her career as a sculptor and medallist, winning further prizes at the following years' Exhibitions and Salons. She became a member of the San Luca Academy in 1897, and in 1946 was made an emeritus member. Comparative Literature "Lancelot-Croce, Marcelle-Renée", Who are you? Annuaire des contemporains, notices biographiques, Volume 3, Paris, Maison Ehret, G. Ruffy ed. 1924, p. 435.