Selika
Entry ID
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80 (24/01/2022)
Formal title of the work
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Selika
Description of the sculpture
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A bronze and marble bust depicting the character Selika from the opera ‘L’Africaine’ by German composer, Giacomo Meyerbeer.
URLs where this is recorded/available
Type of object
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Bust – Portrait
Base
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Base present - appears to be the original base
Dimensions
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Height: 87.6 cm
Materials
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Bronze
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Marble – white
Specific techniques used
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Carving
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Casting
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Patination
Overall colour
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Polychrome
Inscriptions
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'SELIKA' (on front of socle)
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'Pagani Luigi / fece 1871 Milano' (indicating that it was carved by Luigi Pagani in Milan in 1871)
Does the Black person have a specific identity?
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Identifiable: person from literature/ musicals/ opera
Identity of Black person (real or fictive)
Attributes
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crown
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feather headdress
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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Royal
Clothing
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Wearing clothes – indigenous clothing
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Wearing clothes – ‘exotic’ clothing
Evidence of enslavement
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None
Evidence of 'exotic' status
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Earrings (often a single pearl)
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Feathers
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‘Exotic’ costume/dress
Action or activity
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Not relevant (head)
Emotional state
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Noble/proud
Focus of gaze of Black person
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Looking downwards
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Eyes half-shut
Sculptural context
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No location included/implied
Sculptor
Place of production
Period of production
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Nineteenth century (1800-1899)
Date of Production
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1871
Date inferred from
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Recorded in inscription
Price history
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28 October 2003: $321,100 (Christie's, New York)
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9 July 2015: £242,500 (Christie's, London)
Original purpose
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Decorative
Original display setting
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Unknown
Current / most recently known location
Provenance history
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From 9 July 2015: current owner unknown
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9 July 2015: Sold by Christie's, London, lot 115
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28 October 2003 - 9 July 2015: Property of a private collector
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28 October 2003: Sold by Christie's, New York, lot 170
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Until 28 October 2003: Property of Peter Glenville and Hardy William Smith
Exhibition history
Exhibition ID number
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London 1872; no. 1510
Notes
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Displayed with its pair, Nelusko: London 1872; no, 1509.
Bibliography/References
Reference pages
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Panzetta 1990; p. 177
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Vicario 1990; pp. 474-475
Associated with
Related objects
Current rights holder
License terms for reuse
Linked resources
Filter by property
| Title | Alternate label | Class |
|---|---|---|
 Nelusko |
Associated with | E22 Man-Made Object |
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/699
