Black Orchid
Entry ID
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106 (04/02/2022)
Formal title of the work
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Black Orchid
Previous title(s)
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Black Orchid
Description of the sculpture
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Bronze portrait head of a woman with her hair pulled back into a ponytail. Her eyebrows, lips, eyes and the outer edges of her ears are painted gold.
URLs where this is recorded/available
Type of object
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Head
Base
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No base
Dimensions
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Height: 43.6 cm
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Width: 15 cm
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Depth: 18 cm
Materials
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Bronze
Specific techniques used
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Casting
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Polychromy
Overall colour
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Monochrome – black
Inscriptions
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Back of neck: 'Dora Gordine 3/4'
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
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Adolescent
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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Neutral/emotionless
Focus of gaze of Black person
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Looking outwards (engaging viewer)
Sculptural context
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No location included/implied
Sculptor
Period of production
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Twentieth century (1900-1999)
Date of Production
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1956
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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1994.1_CC0381
Provenance history
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1956 - 1994: in possession of the artist, Dora Gordine
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1994: given to Dorich House Museum by the artist's estate
Notes
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Inscription on back records it as casting number 3 of an edition of 4.
Related objects
Current rights holder
License terms for reuse
Linked resources
Filter by property
| Title | Alternate label | Class |
|---|---|---|
| Black Orchid | Related objects | E22 Man-Made Object |
http://13.41.147.145/s/database/item/37, . (no date) ‘Black Orchid’, Black People in European Sculpture, accessed May 5, 2025, http://13.41.147.145/s/database/item/892
