Not really sure what this is made of… Copper? Bronze? Painted spelter? No idea, I'm completely out of my wheelhouse but I love her. She resembles Francesco Laurana’s Eleanor of Aragon bust, or perhaps his Bust of a Princess. Purchased in the Midwest US, from a wealthy local estate with lots of high-quality antiques. Measures approximately 9 inches or 22 cm tall, and 8 1/4 inches or 21 cm wide. Weighs 5 pounds. No marks anywhere that I can find. Looks like it once had gray fuzzy fabric on the bottom but now there's little green felt pads. Vintage? Antique? Contemporary decor item? (I got a great deal so whatever she ends up being is fine with me.) Any info appreciated. (I can scrape the black spots off with my fingernail.)
Concrete hadn’t even occurred to me. I think too heavy for plaster. Interesting. The bottom looks/feels like metal but I don't know...
Did you see this other recent thread? https://www.antiquers.com/threads/large-medieval-french-carved-wood-bust.74939/
Yes! My interest in my Eleanor bust for sale locally caused me to comment on that thread. I remain hopeful of receiving opinions here on the age of mine...
Here is another bust by Francesco Laurana,late 1400's ,who did the original Aragon Bust.Every bit as sublime as the realist busts of the Roman Republic.A towering Master,but not a grade school name like Donatello or Michelangelo.Formal but not stiff gothic,transitional early Renaissance.
-kind of made me gasp when I first saw it.The Laurana Aragon Bust seems to be an archetype that was admired and copied by generations of sculptors.Her headdress changes but not that expression. A more meditative,less mischievous Mona Lisa. Now one can ask-what was Laura's source ? PS-Is this another view/rendition of Aragon he made.Artists would sometimes do multiples of their own popular/personal favorite works ? Prob easily answered in the Goog Labyrinth.
All so serenely beautiful! I suppose that's why I couldn't resist the purchase of my copper clad rendition.
Bluumz- Your copper one's really beautiful,'found at a Midwestern Estate Sale' (like this version a lot-Arts & Crafts/Deco vibe). Are Estate Sales still,after Covid,as crazy as they used to be ? They were like small 'wars'-shoving,pushing,elbows & some real hate between dealers ! Sometimes good,good stuff-but...
Thank you. I don't go to many estate sales because the prices are generally higher than I want to pay. When I do go, it's usually on the last day (for bargain prices), and late in the day (to avoid crowds). If I've seen something listed that I really want, then I may go on the first day... but still not until later in the day. If it's still there, good... if not, oh well I didn't really "need" it anyway. I hate crowds and rude pushy people. I don't need or want anything that much. I actually purchased this from a family member of the estate. It had been priced quite high during the sale and hadn't sold. She had listed estate leftovers on FB marketplace, which is where I'd been watching it and waiting for it to become affordable.
I remember my Big Ten college days and meeting fraternity boys... they'd always say, "Don't call a fraternity a frat... you don't call your country a c*nt!"
Good strategy-sounds like a kinder,gentler way to treasure hunt.You're right,if it's still there-it was waiting just for you.After all these years,I'll leave the fever of battle to the kids and the older lunatics.
My piece is unmarked (research indicates some simply had a paper label/seal), and has an unusual "hammered" type of finish, but I'm just adding the following link and photos to this old thread of mine for info purposes. "The Pompeian Bronze Co. started out as Galvano Bronze, the first commercially produced art metal industry in the US. The named was changed to Pompeian after the founders sold their company to it’s employees at the turn of the century. Pompeian continued in business through the end of 1920s creating beautifully plated and painted art nouveau style bookends using permanent mold, solid white metal castings. In 1922, they sold the molds and electroplating tanks to the newly formed Marion Bronze Co." "The Pompeian Bronze Works traces its history back to the Galvano Bronze Company, a New York City firm founded by Paul Mori around 1889. Galvano Bronze was one of the first American commercial companies to use bronze electroplating and electroforming. Its earliest products were architectural elements. The company introduced bookends into its product line in 1915. In the early 1920s, the Galvano Bronze Company was sold to its employees and became The Pompeian Bronze Works. Peter Manfredi, an employee, filed 27 book and lamp design copyrights with the U.S. Library of Congress Copyright Office in 1921. The company continued using the bronze electroplating (bronze-clad) and electroforming using white-metal (often pewter) or spelter (zinc) to make ashtrays, bookends, and lamps. In addition to a bronze finish, the company painted some of its products. Scholars are not able to agree upon the end date for the company. It appears that some of the Pompeian Bronze Company molds were acquired by the Marion Bronze Company." "The website http://eurekaifoundit.us/antique/metals.html notes in its “Fiction” section: “It’s bronze because it’s marked ‘Armor Bronze,’ ‘Pompeian Bronze’, or ‘Marion Bronze,’ False. These pieces are zinc with copper coating, produced by the ‘Electroformed’ or ‘Galvano’ process.” The website suggests lightly tapping a suspected bronze piece with a pencil. If the sound is a thud, it is zinc. A faint dull ringing tone indicates brass. Bonze has a clear ring tone." https://www.harryrinker.com/col-1577.html Pompeian Bronze Co. busts:
