I've added another Nouveau era chalkware goddess to my collection this week, --behold, Sappho, the ancient Greek poetess from the island of Lesbos. This particular piece is attributed to French artist Jean Jacques Pradier, and depicts Sappho in a contemplative pose, as often seen with elements related to her poetic legacy, in this case, a lyre etched on the side of a vase. This subtly colored (original patina) sculpture also captures her with flowing hair and drapery, conveying both beauty and introspection. She stands nearly 3 feet tall too, making her the largest (and heaviest) piece of antique chalkware in my collection, --and likely the oldest as well-- and as with most chalk compositions of this age, she does have a number of typical, unavoidable bumps and bruises.
4 comments:
3 feet! That's enormous! How many bottles did you have to knock down at the fair for that? :)
That's a super interesting sculpt. It is, at both times, kind of mysterious and clean then more realistic and complex. You can tell it was an artistic choice.
I like the larger nose it makes her face more striking that what might be a modern button nose.
Fantastic. That is the only way to describe this item. Fantastic shape, fantastic form, definitely a museum piece for either a private museum or a side display for one of the larger museums.
It may have some scuff marks here and there but so do many statuettes from Greece from its classical time.
Wow, she's beautiful. I can't begin to imagine the amount of work out took to create her.
Yeah, this is gorgeous. I love her dress--the wonderful and weightless sculpt, the details of the textile, and those subtle colors.
And as far as dramatic lighting goes, that second pic is the bee's knees.
Post a Comment