Self-Portrait as a Chimera
Sarah Bernhardt
c. 1880
Medium
Bronze
Dimensions
31.8 × 34.9 × 31.8 cm (12 1/2 × 13 3/4 × 12 1/2 in.)
Classification
sculpture
Department
Painting and Sculpture of Europe
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
260045
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
French actor and artist Sarah Bernhardt was perhaps the first global superstar, with legions of admirers spread across Britain, continental Europe, North and South America, and as far afield as Australia. In this fantastical bronze inkwell, she portrayed herself as a chimera, a mythological creature composed of disparate body parts. Here, Bernhardt joined her human torso and head to clawed haunches, bat wings, and a dragon-like tail. The work is a key example of her inspired use of visual media ...