Charles-Henri-Joseph Cordier, 1827 - 1905 Vénus Africaine, vers 1851

L. de Margerie, E. Papet, Charles Cordier 1827-1905, l'autre et l'ailleurs, cat. exp. Paris, musée d'Orsay, 2004, p. 208, n° 500.

Very crisp precise cast in all details in very good condition overall.Some minor wear to the patina consistent with age and handling, some minor wear to her nosetip and breasts; some minor dust in the curls of her hair and minor oxydation in the crevices. One element of earings missing. Great model. Models in museums: one version in the Walter's Art Gallery, Baltimore Osborne House, Ile of Wight, England (big size h.80 cm); Chicago Art Institute and in the Musée de l'Homme in Paris
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Cordier présente le buste de la Vénus Africaine, grandeur nature, en paire avec Saïd Abdallah, à l'exposition de Londres en 1851. Ces bronzes, fondus par Eck & Durand, furent acquis par la Reine Victoria pour les offrir au prince Albert à l'occasion de son anniversaire. Notre buste est une réduction demi nature de ce même modèle, dont un exemplaire identique est conservé à New York au Schomburg Center (op. cit., cat. 89), une autre paire se trouve à la Walters Art Gallery de Baltimore (inv. n° 542665).