Bronze reproduction patinated by hand. Mold made from an imprint of the original work.
This small sculpture takes up a very famous and often published bronze of Jean de Bologne (ca. 1529-1608), an artist born in Douai but who lived all his career in Italy, and whose art characterized by elongated forms and serpentine lines is often compared with the pictorial style of Primatice.
Small sculptures were a great success during the 16th century and became a favorite object of collectors. The choice of materials such as bronze with its patina games, ivory or even a very hard wood with very tight and smooth veins is undoubtedly not foreign to this tactile pleasure.
However, if the model remains Italian-inspired, the use of boxwood or pearwood is naturally northern and is found for more popular or more prosaic styles.
This bather with a refined canon thus appears like a counterexample.
