Emmanuel Villanis (1858–1914) La Sibylle France, circa 1900

Patinated bronze, cast by the Société des Bronzes de Paris

A striking bronze bust of a young woman, her head turned slightly to one side, with an arresting expression and deeply sculpted eyes. Her loosely arranged hair is crowned by a broad headband decorated with medallions and pendant ornaments. Richly folded drapery, embellished with further medallions and geometric pendants, falls across her shoulders. Contrasting reddish-brown, dark brown and golden patinas distinguish the flesh, hair and costume, bringing warmth and depth to the composition.

The bust rises from an integral tapering pedestal bearing the title La Sibylle in flowing relief lettering. Signed Villanis on the drapery and bearing the circular foundry seal of the Société des Bronzes de Paris.

The title refers to the sibyls, prophetic women of classical antiquity. An example of this model in the Musée des Beaux-Arts et d’Archéologie, Troyes, is identified in the official collection record as the Cumaean Sibyl. That smaller cast, measuring 35.5 cm, formerly belonged to the sculptor Alfred Boucher and entered the museum by bequest in 1941.

Villanis trained under Odoardo Tabacchi at the Albertina Academy in Turin before settling in Paris in 1885. He exhibited regularly at the Paris Salon between 1886 and 1910 and became particularly associated with expressive female busts inspired by mythology, literature and opera. La Sibylle exemplifies his distinctive combination of theatrical costume, contrasting patinas and decorative lettering, placing the sculpture within the artistic vocabulary of Art Nouveau

H 53  x  W 33  x  D 24cm