Charles Van Oemberg, “venus,” Sculpture Of A Draped Nude Woman, Terracotta, Ca. 1870

An elegant terracotta sculpture depicting a young nude woman standing, leaning against a rocky formation draped with fabric. The supple, slightly swaying pose, the upturned face, and the updo place the work within the academic tradition of the second half of the 19th century.

The smooth, idealized modeling of the body contrasts with the freer treatment of the rock, the fabrics, and the hair, lending the piece greater dynamism. The subject may evoke a nymph, a bather, or a mythological figure.

Terracotta, height 39 cm, in good condition.
Signed “Van Oemberg” on the base, it dates from the late 19th century, around 1970.

Charles Van Oemberg:
Charles Joseph Van Oemberg (1824–1901) was a Belgian sculptor trained at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels under Louis Jehotte, and later in the studio of Charles-Auguste Fraikin. He exhibited at the Salons in Brussels and Antwerp and notably participated in the 1867 Paris World’s Fair.

His work lies at the intersection of late Neoclassicism, academic Romanticism, and Naturalism. His female figures can be compared to those of Fraikin, Charles Van der Stappen, or Léon Gobert in Belgium, and, in France, to sculptors such as Alexandre Falguière or Carrier-Belleuse.

Van Oemberg worked primarily in marble, bronze, and terracotta. In 1883, he became a professor of sculpture at the Academy of Mons. This sculpture, through its subject, material, and format, fits perfectly within the context of late 19th-century Belgian academic sculpture.