catalog text
FERNAND OUILLON-CARRERE (FRENCH, 20TH CENTURY), BRONZE SCULPTURE OF “SWORD DANCE”
Signed in base “F. Ouillon Carrere 1919”
Item # 607XGI17S
Originally exhibited at the Paris Salon in 1919, Fernand Ouillon-Carrére’s sculpture of “Sword Dance” is a powerful study of a dancing female amonst an array of spear tips. The only work by Ouillon-Carrére documented in Catley’s work on the period, it is of inordinately fine quality both in subject and in execution. The exquisite chiseling and surface quality are self evident, every hair carefully detailed and individualized, her facial features well defined and attractive, her skin and all surfaces cast without flaw. The poise and dignity of the dancer is most moving, her gaze is focused but confident, her body exhibiting the practiced calm of an accomplished athlete. She is raised over the original faceted marble plinth, an appropriate contrast to the highly complex and most fine patina. The surface glows in the smooth perfection of the acid patination preserved under wax. For serious collectors of the Art Deco period bronzes, this is a most fine acquisition.
Literature:
- Art Deco and Other Figures, Catley, 1978, p. 243
Measurements: 21 1/2” H (total),18 3/4” H (figure) x 14 1/4” W x 4 3/4” D
Condition Report:
Original patina in excellent condition: some wear/loss to patina of palm and fingertips. Waxed and cleaned. Original base. Missing one spear tip.