French Bronze Sculpture of a Sleeping Egyptian Musician by Gaston Leroux

Gaston Leroux (French, 1854-1942). A very fine French 19th century polychromed and patinated bronze sculpture of "Aida" resting on a sphinx, her legs crossed and holding a gilt-bronze tambourine, after the model by Gaston Veuvenot Leroux "Aida, A Femme Au Tambourin Assise Sur Une Tete De Sphinx". Signed: Gaston Leroux, Paris, circa 1890. Measures: Height 29 inches (74 cm). Width 15 inches (38.1 cm). Depth 15 inches (38.1 cm). The opulent and extensively detailed version of Aida was inspired by ethnographic findings of the mid-19th century in ancient Egypt as well as the influences of theatre and costume design. Travelers to the East had often recorded their journeys, either in writing or in pictures, but the movement of Egyptomania was wider-reaching than Egyptology. The immensely popular vogue of Egyptomania is without doubt due to the success of performing arts in recreating this era, in particular, Giuseppe Verdi's Aida. Both the Cairo and Paris premieres created sensations so large that they influenced generations of artists from Alexander Cabanel to Cecil de Mille. In Aida, the ruins of Egypt were brought back to life in full color and scale before the eyes of a generation that would make history as romantics, adventurers and explorers. The Cairo premier of Aida was entirely conceived by one of the foremost Egyptologists of the day, Auguste Mariette, who was assigned to the project by Khedive Ismail Pasha...

Superb bronze sculpture with green patina hues by Gaston Hauchecorne, France 1920s. Representation of a Malay pirate holding on to the railing of a ship with on hand and to the steering with the other. Beautiful detailing in the hands, muscles and face. In very good condition. Dimensions in cm ( H x L x l ) : 18.5 x 36 x 12.5 Secure shipping. Hauchecome was the brother of the French consul in Imperial China, Armand Hauchecorne. At the turn of the century, he was a professor at Peking University. In the literature, he is also mentioned as the managing director of the consulate in Chongqing, as an interpreter in Beijing (1911) or as a "diplomat" in France (1940), who had "spent a large part of his working life in China". Hauchecome produced numerous sculptures with Chinese motifs in terracotta and bronze, some with a humorous undertone. He exhibited his works at the Exposition nationale coloniale de Marseille in 1922 and at several salons of the Société nationale des beaux-arts in the 1920s. Some of Hauchecome's bronzes were crafted by the Parisian sculpture...