MAURICE BOUVAL (1863-1916)

'Ophelia', ca. 1900. Bronze, green parcel-gilt and rust brown patina. Signed 'M. Bouval'. Foundry stamp 'E. Colin & Cie/ Paris'. Ophelia is a personage from Shakespeare's play 'The tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'. She is the daughter of King Polonius and the sister of Prince Laërtes. Ophelia is madly in love with Hamlet, yet her love remains unanswered. Moreover, as an act of revenge for the death of his father, Hamlet kills Polonius, which drives the princess to madness. Later, she will drown in mysterious circumstances in a small stream nearby. When Laërtes returns from France, he finds out that his sister and father are dead, after which he challenges Hamlet to a duel. The prolific art nouveau sculptor, Maurice Bouval, created two versions of the ‘Ophelia’ sculpture. A version in which the noble princess has her eyes open, and a rare version in which she has her eyes closed. Her wet hair holding several flowers and the leave on her chest suggest that we are looking at Ophelia lying in the water. A similar portrayal of the princess in the water can be found in the famous painting by John Everett Millais in the Tate Gallery (inv. N01506 M01546). This rare patinated cast differs from the other gilt casts in its nuance of colour in which her skin has a pale olive green, and her hair and the flowers a cold brown colour. 34.5 x 29 x 19 cm