RaphaËl (1877-1962) Large Africanist Art Deco Sculpture Circa 1930

France Emma RAPHAËL (1877-1962) large Africanist sculpture from the Art Deco period around 1930 (created as part of the colonial exhibition of 1931) presenting an important solid Okoumé wood structure carved in direct carving and adorned with a beautiful finish with hammered effect made with a gouge, orientalist style composition depicting a bust of a young African woman naked, arms back, hands clasped on one hip. The artist calls the plans and proportions invented in African sculpture: the rather large head, the spherical breasts and bulbous buttocks, as well as the strong accentuation of the various parts of the body and the way in which these volumes form a counterpoint to the anatomical articulation of the figure. In the end, it aims to give a touching and tender image of the scattered forces of nature to embody the idea of fertility. Note that a similar statue was among the exceptional decoration of a house fitted out by the famous cabinetmaker and decorator Eugene Printz (1889-1948) the whole was sold at auction at Christie's on May 17, 2006 (it was sold for 2700 € including costs). Good condition, dimensions: Height: 78 cm X Width: 33 cm X Depth: 25 cm French sculptor born July 13, 1877 in Amsterdam. She preferably practiced direct carving of stone and wood. France Emma Raphaël lived on avenue Henri-Martin in Paris and exhibited in various Salons from 1900 such as at the Salon d'Automne and at the Salon des Tuileries. In the monthly museum review "Les Arts" of January 1911, we find this appreciation: "Madame France Raphaël, who largely models busts, studies, makes the reflection of interior life pass over faces". Museums The Hague - Ixelles - Lyon. Tuileries and Fine Arts fairs.