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a statue of a woman ' s head on a pedestala statue of a woman ' s head on a pedestalmarble bust of a woman ' s head on a pedestala white statue of a head on a pedestala close up of a white vase with a logo on ita statue of a woman with a bird perched on her head
La Souveraine

178 - MOUGIN - NANCY, after a Greek original attributed to SCOPAS …
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Estimate €120 - €150
Sale commission
Description
MOUGIN - NANCY, after a Greek original attributed to SCOPAS (active in the 4th century BC), bust of the goddess Hygieia in white glazed stoneware, stamped ‘Grès Mougin Nancy’ “Mougin Nancy”, stamped “Musée…”, marked on the base “130.S Mougin Nancy” – approx. 33 x 17 x 23 cm (stains and wear to the patina) QUOTE: “The Scopas-style face does not look out upon the world — it inhabits an inner life that the marble barely captures.”, J. CHARBONNEAUX, Classical Greek Sculpture, 1943 COMMENTARY: The bust of Hygieia, attributed to Scopas of Paros (c. 350–340 BC, National Museum of Athens), is one of the major works of late Greek Classicism. Scopas stands in stark contrast to Praxiteles: whilst the latter cultivates charis — serene grace —, Scopas introduces pathos, the passion that pierces and distorts the face from within. His revolution lies in the very anatomy of the eye: the deeply sunken eye socket, the overhanging brow ridge, the half-closed eyelids and the eyeball tilted slightly upwards and inwards combine to form what is known as the entos gaze — literally, the gaze turned inwards. For the first time in Western sculpture, a face appears to possess a psychological life of its own, irreducible to its beautiful external form. The paradox of Hygieia — the goddess of health endowed with a haunted gaze — encapsulates the entire tension of the work. Its attribution to Scopas remains a matter of debate, based solely on stylistic similarities with the Tegean pediments, with no ancient source naming him as the artist. This formal innovation directly foreshadows the Hellenistic Baroque of the Laocoön and the Altar of Pergamon, and runs through history right up to Rodin, who recognised in Scopas’s pathos the very principle of sculptural expression.
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About the sale MEMENTO AMORI
Auction location
Auction time 07/11/2026 at 2:00 PM
Pictures credits:
The Sovereign
See original version (French)
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