A 19th century bronze figure of the Greek poetress Sappho, seated on a low tabouret with a lyre resting against her back. She is draped, her finely detailed tunica gliding from one shoulder, unnoticed by her as she appears to be immersed in intense thoughts. The figure has been modelled after the original marble statue by James Pradier (1790-1852) from 1852, now exhibited at the Musee d’Orsay in Paris.
James Pradier was well known for his excellence in applying the antique repertoire to model and expose the modernity of ancient times. It is alleged that the poet Louise Colet (1810-1876), mistress of the French Romancier Gustave Flaubert, has posed for Pradier and she and her (documented) relationship with Flaubert was the original inspiration for the sculpture.
The sculpture is marked ‘J. Pradier’ and ‘Susse Ed’ for the renowned French manufacture Susse Frères Editeurs-Paris. The company is well known for their fine bronze castings with superbly applied patinas, they worked with Paris Foundries such as Eck et Durand, Allard et Culan and Andro.
Peter Kjellberg, Les Bronzes du XIXième siècle, Paris 2008, p. 554 (regarding James Pradier)
Harold Berman, Bronzes – Sculptors and Founders, Chicago 1984, Vol. III, p. 650, fig. 2408.
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