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19th Century French Pottery Group With Napoleon On Violin And A Black Musician

$3,800
£2,901.20
€3,322.89
CA$5,323.78
A$5,952.64
CHF 3,122.41
MX$72,100.77
NOK 39,414.27
SEK 37,236.96
DKK 24,802.06

About the Item

19th century French pottery with three musicians and two dancers. This very unusual group has a figure of Napoleon, or maybe Richard Wagner, wearing a bicorn hat and cape, playing a fiddle on top of a outcrop. Below him a Black man wearing a turban plays a maraca, his booted foot resting on a beer or wine barrel. Next to him is a long haired fellow with a floppy hat wears a double breasted jacket and holds a French horn, legs crossed. On the base an amusing male and female couple do an exuberant dance, each balanced on one foot. A single flowering plant between them. One of the most singular pieces I have come across, I don't quite know what to make of it - except to say it is wonderful. I'm not sure if it is meant to be an allegory, or a scene from a story, or just the whim of the artist. No matter, it is certainly unique. Substantial scale at 27.5 inches high 12.5 wide 13 deep and weighs between 40 - 50 lbs.
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 27.5 in (69.85 cm)Width: 12.5 in (31.75 cm)Depth: 13 in (33.02 cm)
  • Materials and Techniques:
  • Place of Origin:
  • Period:
  • Date of Manufacture:
    1800
  • Condition:
    Repaired: The female figure seems to have been broken off and repaired with some in-painting behind her - only visible from the rear. There is also a 3 inch piece of the base missing there. See photo. Wear consistent with age and use. Minor losses. Minor fading. The female figure seems to have been broken off and repaired with some in-painting behind her - only visible from the rear. See photo. Much of the original painted surface is worn away, revealing the terracotta underneath.
  • Seller Location:
    Stamford, CT
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU803046153082

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