“NERINA” BRONZE BUST, SIGNED EMMANUEL VILLANIS

A late 19th-century Art Nouveau bust signed Emmanuel Villanis (1858-1914) and titled " Nérina " on the base. It depicts an elegant young woman, her hair covered with a scarf, adorned with a necklace. The sculpture rests on a griotte marble plinth. The foundry mark " Société des Bronzes de France " appears on the base at the back of the bust. Emmanuel Villanis was a French sculptor born in Lille in 1858 and died in Paris in 1914, to Italian parents. He studied at the Albertina Academy of Fine Arts in Turin, where he was taught by the sculptor Odoardo Tabacchi. In 1885, he returned to Paris where he created his collection of female figurines (Aida, Judith, Delilah, Lucretia, Cinderella, Nerina, etc.) embodying the great heroines of opera, literature, mythology, and the Bible. He is one of the major sculptors of Art Nouveau.

Art Nouveau period

Circa: 1890

Dimensions: L:11cm, W:9cm, H:22cm.

Condition report : very good condition. Signs of wear consistent with age.