Julien Dillens Belgian, 1849-1904

Dillens' Allegretto exists in at least four variants, with each cast displaying minor differences that he made in the wax master model before casting. The bronze in the Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique, cast by the Compagnie des Bronzes de Bruxelles and dating to the 1880's, shows the allegorical female figure entirely nude, giving a very different profile. Musical lines and the script Allegretto are inscribed on the base which is mounted on a further base of eels, shells and other fantastical sea creatures. In the present variant, Dillens may have changed the meaning of the allegory.  He has taken great trouble in representing the wonderfully crisp and textured drapery which envelopes the figure with a more dynamic profile. Dillens has also inserted his signature directly over the space formerly given to the musical script and added a small salamander or lizard on the base. This may identify her as one of the Liberal Arts or the Four Elements.

A smaller ivory version, also nude, was sent on international exhibition (now Musées Royaux d'Art et d'Histoire, Bruxelles).

RELATED LITERATURE
Musées Royaux Bruxelles, p.160, inv.4476; Engelen-Marx, p.597