Charles Levy (1840-1899) Bronze "salomé" 85cm

Important 19th century bronze sculpture with medal patina signed on the terrace Ch. LEVY (Charles Octave LEVY 1840-1899) and on a label on the facade: "SALOMÉ PAR CH. LEVY (Sc)". Superb Orientalist composition featuring a mythological figure representing the Jewish princess "Salomé" harmoniously dressed in finery evoking an oriental dancer holding a luxurious saber in its scabbard. She stands on a square base with curved corners. Good condition, beautiful patina, statue presented here in its largest version, with dimensions: 85 cm high X 46 cm wide X 25 cm deep. Salome, femme fatale and temptress, oriental and mysterious beauty, the greatest painters such as Lucas Cranach the Elder, Caravaggio or Gustave Moreau but also poets and writers such as Guillaume Apollinaire, Oscar Wilde or Gustave Flaubert, have seized upon this recurring figure in the history of art. Note that this model is listed on page 439 & 440 in the catalog of 19th century bronzes by Kjellberg, les éditions de l'amateur, Paris 1989. A French sculptor born in Paris, Lévy trained with Armand Toussaint (1806-1862). Levy exhibited his works at the French Salons from 1873 to 1898, where he received a third class prize in 1889. Lévy's works are finely modeled figurative bronze sculptures representing men and women at work. They are decorative and beautifully finished or chiseled with a beautiful colored patina. It is reported that many examples of his best carvings were sent directly to the United States without being exhibited at the French Salons.