Jean-Baptiste Clesinger (French, 1814-1883)

A marble bust of Cléopatre

A marble bust of Cléopatre
Her head turned slightly to sinister on a socle base, signed on the shoulder 'J.CLESINGER',
40cm wide x 29cm deep x 69cm high (15 1/2in wide x 11in deep x 27in high)

Working in Rome between 1856 and 1864, Clesinger created a series of mythologically inspired busts of young women including this model of Cléopatre and Helen of Troy, which was his most famous example and was exhibited for the first time in the Paris Salon of 1860. Barbedienne was so impressed by the piece, he bought the advance rights to the entire oeuvre and produced many bronze copies that he displayed at various exhibitions.