Jean-Léon Gérôme

Overall the condition of the bust is good with some wear and dirt to the surface consistent with age with particular rubbing to the glaze at the truncation, tip of her nose, and snake's heads. There are several restored breaks, including to the extremities of the helmet (where the side sections and 'horns' at the front are replacements), the upper snake's neck, the lock of hair at her proper right cheek, the neck and back of the hair, and the drapery at the proper right side of the chest. There is a stable firing fissure under the proper left shoulder which has not quite been covered by the glaze.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

By placing his spectacular chryselephantine statue of Bellona at the entrance of the Salon exhibition of 1893, Jean-Léon Gérôme caused a sensation among critics. A collaboration between Gérôme, Siot-Decauville (silvered bronze), Moreau-Vauthier and Delacour (ivory), and Lalique (glass), the ambitious and costly work proved divisive but was celebrated for its effective use of polychromy, which is characteristic of the painter's sculptural oeuvre. Gérôme's irreverent design, which represents the Roman deity as a wide-eyed, screaming gorgon, powerfully conveys the terror of war and, in its nightmarish indulgence, has been described as "worthy of a place in a twentieth-century epic movie" (op. cit.). A patinated plaster and glass version of the model in bust-form is housed in the Musée Georges-Garret, Vesoul.

RELATED LITERATURE
The Spectacular Art of Jean-Léon Gérôme (1824-1904), exh. cat. The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, Musée d'Orsay, Paris, and Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid, Paris, 2010, pp. 314-315, no. 182