Born in Paris on 4 July 1848, Louis-Robert Carrier-Belleuse grew up watching his father, Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse, earn his living as a practicing artist. The elder Carrier-Belleuse entered the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in 1840 under the auspices of sculptor David d’Angers, but he elected to study decorative arts at the Petite Ecole shortly thereafter, perhaps because he felt that it would offer a better livelihood for his growing family.



When Louis-Robert was only two years old, his father accepted a job in England where he designed ceramics and metalwork models for the Wedgwood factory, among others. This interlude lasted five years, until 1855 when the family returned to France where Albert-Ernest f...