BRONZE "YOUNG GIRL WITH A GOAT" OR "ESMERALDA" AFTER ÉDOUARD HOUSSIN (1847-1919)

A bronze sculpture with a brown patina depicting Esmeralda by Édouard Houssin. Esmeralda is one of the main characters in Victor Hugo's novel "Notre-Dame de Paris" (1831). A 16-year-old Gypsy dancer, she dances and plays the tambourine in the streets of Paris accompanied by her goat, Djali. This is an early cast signed "E. Houssin." The base is marked "PHOEBUS." In Hugo's novel, Phoebus de Châteaupers was a captain of the guard whom Esmeralda loved passionately. Height without base: 53 cm. Condition: The bronze is in good overall condition, with a small chip to the tambourine, some micro-scratches, and slight signs of age. The sculpture is presented on a wooden base imitating Griotte red marble. The statue "Young Girl with a Goat," or "Esmeralda," was created by Édouard Houssin (Douai, 1847–Paris, 1919) around 1880. The original cast iron and bronze version was first exhibited at the Salon des Artistes Français in 1880 and then at the Universal Exhibition in Paris in 1889. The work was placed in the Jardin des Plantes in Douai in 1955. Born in Douai, Édouard Houssin was admitted to the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris in 1866, studying in the workshops of Henri Lemaire and François Jouffroy. He became a professor of sculpture at the Douai School of Art and regularly exhibited his works at the Salon, where he received several honorable mentions and medals. Édouard Houssin completed numerous public commissions, particularly in northern France. He ended his career as a professor of modeling at the Sèvres National Porcelain Manufactory. Bibliography: Joconde database. 

Circa: 1890 Dim: L:21cm, D:21cm, H:60cm.