Selika
Entry ID
-
3 (04/01/2022)
Formal title of the work
-
Selika
Description of the sculpture
-
A bronze and marble bust depicting the character Queen Selika from the opera ‘L’Africaine’ by German composer, Giacomo Meyerbeer.
URLs where this is recorded/available
Type of object
-
Bust – Portrait
Base
-
Base present - may be a later replacement
Dimensions
-
Height: 86.5 cm
-
Width: 50 cm
-
Depth: 28 cm
Materials
-
Bronze
-
Marble – white
Specific techniques used
-
Carving
-
Casting
-
Patination
Overall colour
-
Polychrome
Does the Black person have a specific identity?
-
Identifiable: person from literature/ musicals/ opera
Role within sculpture
-
Main protagonist
Gender
-
Female
Age
-
Adult
Status
-
Royal
Clothing
-
Wearing clothes – indigenous clothing
-
Wearing clothes – ‘exotic’ clothing
Evidence of enslavement
-
None
Evidence of 'exotic' status
-
Feathers
-
Earrings (often a single pearl)
Action or activity
-
Not relevant (head)
Emotional state
-
Noble/proud
Focus of gaze of Black person
-
Looking downwards
Sculptural context
-
No location included/implied
Sculptor
Place of production
Period of production
-
Nineteenth century (1800-1899)
Date of Production
-
c. 1878
Date inferred from
-
Recorded in related documentation
Original purpose
-
Decorative
Original display setting
-
Unknown
Current owner
Current / most recently known location
Accession number
-
SC22 BORGM
Provenance history
-
1921: gifted to the Russell-Cotes Art Gallery and Museum by Sir Merton Russell-Cotes
-
c. 1907 - 1921: owned by Sir Merton Russell-Cotes
Notes
-
Selika is paired with the bust of the character Nelusko, also from the opera L’Africaine’. Luigi Pagani sculpted both busts but they were originally believed to be created by Pietro Calvi. The sculpture has holes in the earlobes indicating that there may have been earrings once included with this bust.
Associated with
Current rights holder
License terms for reuse
Linked resources
http://13.41.147.145/s/database/item/50, . (no date) ‘Selika’, Black People in European Sculpture, accessed May 5, 2025, http://13.41.147.145/s/database/item/171
