Guadaloupe Head
Entry ID
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40 (12/01/2022)
Formal title of the work
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Guadaloupe Head
Description of the sculpture
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A bronze head of a woman displayed on a fabric-covered wooden base. The figure wears large circular earrings and her hair is piled high upon her head.
URLs where this is recorded/available
Type of object
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Head
Base
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Base present - appears to be the original base
Dimensions
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Height: 36 cm
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Width: 23 cm
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Depth: 23 cm
Materials
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Bronze
Specific techniques used
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Casting
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Patination
Overall colour
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Monochrome – black
Inscriptions
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Back of head: ‘Dora Gordine 8/8’
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Back of neck: ‘VALSUANI CIRE PERDUE BRONZE’ (VALSUANI LOST WAX BRONZE)
Does the Black person have a specific identity?
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Anonymous: specific individual but not currently identifiable
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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Free citizen
Clothing
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No clothes included (head)
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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Noble/proud
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Neutral/emotionless
Focus of gaze of Black person
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Unfocussed/blank eyeballs
Sculptural context
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No location included/implied
Sculptor
Place of production
Period of production
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Twentieth century (1900-1999)
Date of Production
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1928
Date inferred from
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Recorded in related documentation
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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T03746
Provenance history
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1983: Transferred to Tate from the Victoria and Albert Museum
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1952: bequeathed to Victoria and Albert Museum by Mrs A. Q. Patullo (probably purchased at the Leicester Galleries in 1938)
Notes
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While studying in Paris, Dora Gordine modelled this head from a woman she met by chance in the city.
Cast by Valsuani. Inscription on back records it as casting number 8 of an edition of 8.
Related objects
Current rights holder
License terms for reuse
Linked resources
Filter by property
| Title | Alternate label | Class |
|---|---|---|
 Guadeloupe Head |
Related objects | E22 Man-Made Object |
http://13.41.147.145/s/database/item/37, . (no date) ‘Guadaloupe Head’, Black People in European Sculpture, accessed May 5, 2025, http://13.41.147.145/s/database/item/397
