catalog text
EMMANUEL VILLANIS
French, fl. 1880-1920
"Bust of Thais"
Signed in cast along shoulder "E. Villanis" and cold stamped "1146" with foundry cachet of "Societe des Bronzes et Paris" verso
Item # 305KOA20Z
An exquisite and expertly cast example of Emmanuel Villanis' Thais, it features a delightful reddish oxide surface patination throughout the skin of the courtesan with a highly nuanced patina to the integral socle, garment and hair with traces of brown, black, gilt, silver, reddish-brown and burnished bronze that has only lightly patinated. The figure captures the courtesan of Alexander the Great, eventual wife of Ptolemy I, the famed instigator of the Burning of Persepolis by Alexander the Great. It is thought that she led the burning of the great palace in sport, jest and underlying revenge for the burning in her homeland of the Temple of Athena on the Acropolis by Xerxes during the Persian war. The cast is sealed to the reverse with the editeur's cachet and numbered 1146 by cold-stamping.
Measurements: 21 1/2" H x 12 1/4" W x 5 1/8" W (base) x 4 5/8" D (base)
Condition Report: Very good condition. Significant patina variation throughout the chaotic areas with some degree of relieving between various patinas, likely intentional. Cleaned, waxed and a fine presentation.