L’Otage à la Colonne, A Cold-Painted Spelter Sculpture and Planter
Cast from a model by Emmanuel Villanis, circa 1900
Inscribed E. Villanis and tagged with the retailer’s label Aug Klein 6 BD des Capucines
39 ¼ in (99.7 cm) high
cf. Pierre Kjellberg, Bronzes of the 19th Century: Dictionary of Sculptors, 1994, p.642 – for an illustration of this same model
Born to Italian parents in Lille, France, Villanis worked in France and began exhibiting at the Salon in 1886. Strongly influenced by Art Nouveau and Orientalism, he produced innumerable works, mostly representing female figures. He became one of the most productive sculptors towards the end of the 19th century in Paris, and his sculptures were exported all over the world, particularly to the United States.
Other works by Villanis can be found in the Musée du Troyes and the Brooklyn Museum.
Other works by Villanis can be found in the Musée du Troyes and the Brooklyn Museum.
