Bust of a Woman
Entry ID
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14 (06/01/2022)
Formal title of the work
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Bust of a Woman
Previous title(s)
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Bust of an African Woman (changed to 'Bust of a Woman' in June 2022)
Description of the sculpture
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Bust portrait in black, white and jasper marble representing a young woman with her hair tied up, wearing a tunic and abundant drapery, and a headdress to which a posy of flowers is attached; looking to her right. The bust is elevated on a turned marble socle, It is one of a pair; its pendant is also in the Wallace Collection (S17).
URLs where this is recorded/available
Type of object
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Bust – Portrait
Base
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Base present - may be a later replacement
Dimensions
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Height: 72 cm
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Width: 49.2 cm
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Depth: 30.7 cm
Materials
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Marble – black
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Marble – white
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Marble – another colour (not black or white)
Specific techniques used
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Carving
Overall colour
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Polychrome
Does the Black person have a specific identity?
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Anonymous: specific individual but not currently identifiable
Attributes
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Cap with a posy of flowers
Role within sculpture
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Main protagonist
Gender
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Female
Age
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Adult
Status
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Uncertain
Clothing
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Wearing clothes – European/Western clothing
Evidence of enslavement
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None
Evidence of 'exotic' status
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None
Action or activity
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Not relevant (head)
Emotional state
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Neutral/emotionless
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Noble/proud
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Calm
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Wistful
Focus of gaze of Black person
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Eyes half-shut
Sculptural context
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No location included/implied
Place of production
Period of production
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Seventeenth century (1600-1699)
Date of Production
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c. 1650
Date inferred from
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Inferred from stylistic features
Price history
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1871: 500 francs (with pair S17)
Original purpose
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Decorative
Original display setting
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Unknown
Current owner
Current / most recently known location
Accession number
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S18
Provenance history
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1890: recorded at Hertford House
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1871: probably recorded at rue Taitbout no. 5, Paris (the description of the sculpture is very brief)
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By 1870: acquired by Richard Seymour-Conway, 4th Marquess of Hertford
Notes
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This bust was formerly mounted on a Corinthian column of white marble and jasper.
Bibliography/References
Reference pages
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Warren 2016, pp. 581-589, cat. no. 125
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Mann 1931, p. 5
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Coppel Aréizaga 1998, p. 106
Associated with
Current rights holder
License terms for reuse
Linked resources
Filter by property
| Title | Alternate label | Class |
|---|---|---|
 Bust of a Man |
Associated with | E22 Man-Made Object |
‘Bust of a Woman’ (no date), Black People in European Sculpture, accessed May 5, 2025, http://13.41.147.145/s/database/item/226
