“Beauty is not the preserve of a privileged race, I have put forward the idea of ubiquity in the artistic world”, extract from a speech given in 1862 by Charles Cordier to the Anthropological Society
Chef-modèle in bronze with brown patina.
Total H. with the piedouche: 48 cm. (18 7/8 in.)
H. of the circular and moulded piedouche in blackened wood: 14 cm. (5 ½ in.).
Provenance: the artist’s family by descent.
This chef-modèle (master model), mounted on a circular, moulded piedouche in blackened wood, has remained in the artist’s family by descent until the present day. Trace of it had been completely lost, even if it was suspected to exist. It constitutes a major rediscovery in the work of Charles Cordier. It is the ‘source’ cast that served as a reference and standard for all subsequent editions of this bust executed by the sculptor.
