Bust of a Woman
Medium
Bronze
Dimensions
71.5 × 40.6 × 29.2 cm (28 3/16 × 16 × 11 1/2 in.)
Classification
sculpture
Department
Painting and Sculpture of Europe
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
18754
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
This fictionalized portrayal is a companion piece to the Bust of Saïd Abdullah. Charles-Henri-Joseph Cordier initially titled this stylized and highly detailed sculpture Vénus africaine (African Venus), thus conflating the ancient Greek goddess of love and beauty with his rendering of a Black woman. Her parted lips and bare shoulders and chest evoke the erotic associations of her former namesake deity, while the draping of her costume suggests Classical refinement. In 1851 the anthropological g...