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"Life and naval career
The "Cras Navigation Plotter", foreground, designed by Jean Cras.
Jean Cras, ship captain, ca. 1930
Cras was born and died in Brest. His father was naval medical officer. He was accepted into the navy at the age of seventeen. As a midshipman cadet on the Iphigénie, he fought in the Americas, the West Indies and Senegal. He was promoted to Lieutenant in 1908. His mathematical skills led to his proposing a number of innovations in technical practices which were adopted by the navy, including his invention of an electrical selector and a navigational plotter protractor (which was named after him).
With the outbreak of war in 1914 Cras was appointed as adjutant to Admiral Augustin Boué de Lapeyrère. He later worked in the Submarine Defense Service. In 1916 he was appointed commander of the torpedo boat Commandant Bory. During the Adriatic campaign he sank a submarine and was commended for his bravery in rescuing a sailor who had fallen overboard.
After the war Cras became Chief Secretary to the Chief of General Staff, and was promoted to Commander. He served on several other vessels before being appointed Service Chief on the General Staff for Scientific Research. In 1931 he was appointed Major General of the Port of Brest and promoted to rear admiral. He occupied this position when he died after a short illness.
His daughter, Colette Cras, a concert pianist for whom he wrote his piano concerto, married the Polish-French composer Alexandre Tansman."
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"Date : 1935
Catégorie de monument : Grands hommes
Type d'oeuvre : bas-relief ; statue
Matériaux : bronze ; pierre
Sculpteur(s) : Delamarre, Raymond (Paris 1890 - Paris 1986)
Personnage(s) représenté(s) : Jean Cras (Brest 1879 - Brest 1932)
Inscriptions : sur la base, à gauche : R. DELAMARE
au-dessus du relief : JEAN CRAS / CONTRE AMIRAL / ET COMPOSITEUR ; sous le relief : BREST 1879 / BREST 1932 / BELLE MER ECUMEUSE ET BLEUE OU JE SUIS NE / POLYPHEME
sur le socle, à droite : R. DELAMARRE
Historique : 1933 : création du Comité ; la municipalité s'y associe et vote 1000 F. Raymond Delamarre, prix de Rome de 1919 est pressenti.
1935 : inauguration
1944 : monument endommagé par les bombardements. Le bronze est déposé au service d'ordre de l'Arsenal
1956 : Delamarre qui a gardé la maquette propose la reconstruction. L'Etat participe par indemnité aux dommages de guerre.
1959 : 18 octobre, inauguration du monument reconstitué.
Description : Le monument est composé du relief de Jean Cras coiffé d'un képi d'amiral et de deux figures féminines allégorique en pierre de Pouillenay,: La Musique, à droite ; la navigation, à gauche..
Oeuvres en rapport : 1933, Paris, Salon d'Automne, n° 413
Source : Fonds Debuisson
2002, Prével-Montagne, Corinne, La représentation des grands hommes dans la sculpture publique commémorative en Bretagne 1685-1945. Les pratiques, les sculpteurs, leurs œuvres, Thèse de Doctorat Rennes 2 sous la direction de Jean-Yves Andrieux, quatre volumes, t. IV, cat. F.3 p. 80-82
2010, relevé sur le terrain par l’équipe scientifique
Bibliographie : 2018, Montalbetti, Valérie, "Une stèle poétique pour un marin-compositeur à Brest : le monument à Jean Cras par Raymond Delamarre, Sculptures, n° 5, p. 98-104.
Identifiant : 6598"
"Date: 1935
Monument category: Great men
Type of work: bas-relief; statue
Materials: bronze; stone
Sculptor(s): Delamarre, Raymond (Paris 1890 - Paris 1986)
Represented character(s): Jean Cras (Brest 1879 - Brest 1932)
Inscriptions: on the base, on the left: R. DELAMARE
above the relief: JEAN CRAS / COUNTER AMIRAL / AND COMPONENT; under the relief: BREST 1879 / BREST 1932 / BEAUTIFUL SEA BROAD AND BLUE OR I AM NE / POLYPHEME
on the base, right: R. DELAMARRE
Background: 1933: creation of the Committee; the municipality joins in and votes 1000 F. Raymond Delamarre, winner of the 1919 Prix de Rome, is being considered.
1935: inauguration
1944: monument damaged by the bombardments. The bronze is deposited at the Arsenal police station
1956: Delamarre who kept the model proposes the reconstruction. The State shall contribute by way of compensation to war damage.
1959: 18 October, inauguration of the restored monument.
Description: The monument is composed of the relief of Jean Cras topped by an admiral's kepi and two allegorical female figures in Pouillenay stone: Music, on the right; navigation, on the left...
Related works: 1933, Paris, Salon d'Automne, n° 413
Source: Debuisson Fund
2002, Prével-Montagne, Corinne, La représentation des grands hommes dans la sculpture publique commémorative en Bretagne 1685-1945. Les pratiques, les sculpteurs, leurs œuvres, Thèse de Doctorat Rennes 2 sous la direction de Jean-Yves Andrieux, quatre volumes, t. IV, cat. F.3 p. 80-82
2010, field survey by the scientific team
Bibliography: 2018, Montalbetti, Valérie, "Une stèle poétique pour un marin-compositeur à Brest : le monument à Jean Cras par Raymond Delamarre, Sculptures, n° 5, p. 98-104.
Login: 6598"
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