Ernest Henri Dubois (French pronunciation:[ɛʁnɛstɑ̃ʁidybwa]; March 16, 1863 in Dieppe; December 30, 1930 in Paris), was a French sculptor. He enrolled in 1881 at the École des Arts décoratiif and then attended the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris where he studied under Alexandre Falguière, Henri Chapu and Jules Chaplain. It was his award of the commission to carry out the sculptural work on the tomb of Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet in Meaux Cathedral that gave his career a boost and saw him awarded a Medal of Honour and subsequently he became a Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur.
The Dieppe memorial stands in Dieppe's Square Carnot. Not only are the hundreds of men born in Dieppe and killed in the two World Wars remembered, but also the civilians who lost their lives from 1939 to 1945 and all those deported by the Germans, often to an unknown fate. Dubois' compositions are in bronze. In the central bronze group, three French servicemen, an infantryman, a marine and an aviator are shown draping the French flag around a figure representing "Victory". This composition was shown at the Salon de la Société des Artistes Français in 1925 under the title "Les poilus fixent la Victoire dans les plis du drapeau français".[1][2]Dubois' central bronze composition on the Dieppe War Memorial
Dubois was the sculptor of the monument dedicated to Eugène Fromentin which stands in La Rochelle's place des Petits-Bancs. Eugène Fromentin was a writer and painter who came from La Rochelle. The work is in bronze and features a bust of Fromentin being saluted by a rider on a horse.[5]
The statue stands in front of the La Rochelle Town Hall. Guiton had been mayor of La Rochelle in the siege of 1628. A public subscription to cover the funding of the monument was organized in 1909. The American town of New Rochelle were recorded as having made a subscription.[6]
This bronze by Dubois stands in Les Invalides in Paris. Jules Hardouin-Mansart (1646-1708) was the Chief Architect for Louis XIV and served as "Superintendent of Royal Works". Dubois' bronze sculpture depicts Hardouin-Mansart wearing a long wig and typical 17th century coat, ruffled shirt and leggings. He is standing with one foot raised a little higher on a step and studies a drawing (one suspects an architectural drawing).[7]
Le Pardon
This work by Dubois is one of his best known works.[8]
Sculptural work on the tomb of Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet in Meaux Cathedral
St Stephen's Cathedral in Meaux contains the tomb of the so-called "Eagle of Meaux", Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet. The tomb has some elaborate sculptural work by Dubois.[9]
Le Vengeur
1908
This complex piece in marble is located in the "Panthéon de Paris".
La bataille du 13 prairial an II also known as the battle of Prairial or the third battle of Ouessant was an important naval battle between the fleets of France and Britain and took place between 28 May and 1 June 1794.[10]
Monument aux Savoyards morts pour la patrie
The bronze sculpture on this monument in the Place Monge in Chambéry is by Dubois.[11]