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171
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Based on Jean Baptiste Carpeaux’s “Why Be Born a Slave”. Res…
See original version (French)
171
-
Based on Jean Baptiste Carpeaux’s “Why Be Born a Slave”. Res…
See original version (French)
Voluntary lot
Description
Based on Jean Baptiste Carpeaux’s “Why Be Born a Slave”. Resin bust imitating terracotta. Hand-patinated reproduction. Mould made from a cast of the original work. Reproduction from the Louvre Museum. Height: 35 cm.
A bit of history: In 1867, Carpeaux was commissioned by the City of Paris to create the Fountain of the Observatory, with the subject matter dictated by the city: the four cardinal points. He came up with the idea of figures spinning round on their own axes whilst thinking about the Earth’s rotation, which led him to depict the different ethnic groups that inhabit it.
Whilst working on the studies for the fountain, he created the busts of ‘the Black woman’, ‘the Chinese woman’ and ‘the European woman’. The marble bust entitled ‘Why be born a slave?’ or ‘The Captive Black Woman’, exhibited at the 1869 Salon, was acquired by the Emperor and placed at the Château de Saint-Cloud
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
About the sale
100% ONLINE AUCTION: JEWELLERY – WATCHES – DISPLAY ITEMS, ETC.
Auction location
Auction time
06/30/2026 at 8:00 PM
ID: 87778881
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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