Cyprian Godebski

Private collection, Spain

Paris, Salon, 1866 (probably)

Overall the condition of the marble is very good, with minor wear to the surface consistent with age. The marble has been outside and there is some surface weathering, including some very minor craquelure to the surface, particularly at the chest. There is dirt to the surface, particularly around the bottom of the terrasse and in the crevices; the marble would benefit from a professional clean and wax. There are two relatively small losses to the drapery at the back and some small chips around the edges and corners of the terrasse. There are also some abrasions to the drapery at the back, and a possible chip to the diadem as it falls on the proper left shoulder. The torch is reattached and the restored joint is visible. There is light veining to the marble consistent with the material, and there are some small naturally occurring inclusions, including to the face. There is a slightly open vein below the proper left armpit. There are a few splashes of wax and paint to the terrasse.
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Born in France as the son of a Polish writer, Cyprien Godebski made his debut at the Salon of 1857, followed by mentions honorables in 1880, 1884 and 1886. Godebski's prolific career brought his work to an international audience. He executed monuments for Sebastopol, Warsaw and Cracow, as well as several commissions for public sculpture in Paris, and busts of illustrious personages of his time.

This impressive marble is perhaps the most important work by Godebski to come to the international market. Its dating to 1866 suggests that it can probably be identified with the marble statue of Le Réveil (The Awakening) which he exhibited at the Salon in that year (Lami, op. cit.). The iconography of a partially draped female nude holding up a torch certainly accords with symbolist allegories, and the figure appears to be waking from a slumber (note the half opened eyes). It consequently seems likely that the present marble is the Salon sculpture from 1866. However the flower in the girl's left hand, combined with the imagery of the torch, could possibly also invite an alternative interpretation of the figure as Persephone, the mythological Queen of the Underworld. Godebski softens the strict classicism of the girl's pose by adding a sensual voluptuousness to her figure, which is complemented by her seductive, open-mouthed expression.

RELATED LITERATURE
S. Lami, Dictionnaire des Sculpteurs de l'Ecole Française au dix-neuvième siècle, Paris 1914, (ed.) 1970, vol. III, pp. 66-68