Plaster Death Mask Signed Gherardi, Paris, Late 19th Century

Plaster death mask moulded from life, representing the face of an adult.
The reverse side is hollow, in accordance with the practice of death masks moulded from the deceased.
The mask bears an inscription indicating:
‘GHERARDI – Mouleur – 43 rue de Constantinople’.
This mask comes from the Parisian workshop of Michele Gherardi (1839 - 1904), active at this address at the end of the 19th century. Gherardi's workshop, which began in Paris in the 1860s, was renowned in the industry as a high-quality art moulding workshop. In a document available in openedition, this shop is listed at this address from 1882 to 1897.
No information is available on the identity of the deceased.
This type of object relates to both funeral practices and artistic and documentary uses in the 19th century, particularly for families, sculptors and institutions.

^{Peter Malone wrote a document entitled ‘Les Gherardi, mouleurs à Paris et à Rome’ (The Gherardi family, mould makers in Paris and Rome), which can be found in open edition on the internet: https://journals.openedition.org/insitu/12699
Peter Malone taught drawing at an art school in England and has worked as an illustrator for the past twenty years. He is the author of a landmark study on the death masks of the poet John Keats (for the Keats Shelley Review), contributed to a book on London moulders Charles Smith and sons, Plaster Casts: Making, Collecting and Displaying from Classical Antiquity to the Present (De Gruyter, 2010), and wrote an article on the Lorenzi family of Parisian moulders for World of Interiors Magazine.}

Condition: consistent with age and medium: minor wear, scratches, superficial dirt, a few chips and hollow air bubbles. Authentic item, preserved in its original condition.
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Signature: GHERARDI (Michele Gherardi 1839 – 1904).
Located at: 43 Rue de Constantinople (Paris).
Period: circa 1882 / 1897.

Dimensions (excluding hook): Length 30 cm – Width 19 cm – Height approximately 16.5 / 17 cm.

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