269 - Antonio Sisteré de HERNANDEZ (1854–?) Portrait of Charles Cordier (1827–1905) Oil on canvas depicting the famous sculptor Charles Cordier in his studio. He is depicted seated, richly dressed and adorned, decorated with the Legion of Honor, holding a terracotta piece and a spatula. Beneath the painting is a book by Charles Cordier, *Sculpture Ethnographique*. H: 95 cm; W: 70 cm

Antonio Sisteré de HERNANDEZ (1854–?) Portrait of Charles Cordier (1827–1905) Oil on canvas depicting the famous sculptor Charles Cordier in his studio. He is depicted seated, richly dressed and adorned, decorated with the Legion of Honor, holding a terracotta piece and a spatula. Beneath the painting is a book by Charles Cordier, *Sculpture Ethnographique*. H: 95 cm; W: 70 cm History: Charles Cordier (1827–1905) was a French sculptor who, after graduating from the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris in 1846, joined the studio of François Rude, a prominent sculptor of the first half of the 19th century. Charles Cordier quickly developed a taste for ethnography after meeting a slave named Seïd Enkess, who had recently been freed and went on to become a professional model. He went on to specialize in Orientalism. His work gained recognition at the Salon of 1848—the year slavery was abolished—thanks to his bust of Saïd Abdallah, of the Mayac tribe in the Kingdom of Darfur. Queen Victoria purchased this bronze sculpture at the 1851 World’s Fair. Cordier continued to travel throughout Italy, Algeria, Greece, and even Egypt to further his ethnographic studies. In 1858, he published a collection of photographs by Marville depicting his works; titled *Sculpture Ethnographique*. Charles Cordier’s goal was to achieve polychromatic effects, and he used a variety of materials: Paros marble, carved onyx for the drapery, enamels on copper, silver, and gold. He would sometimes dye Carrara marble and also incorporate semiprecious stones. His work, characterized by precision and ethnographic research in his busts and portraits, was highly sought after. At the 1863 Salon, he perfected his legendary polychromy with the bust *Algerian Jewish Woman*. The latter was acquired by Empress Eugénie for her Chinese museum in Fontainebleau. Charles Cordier’s Orientalist and eclectic work during the Second Empire established him as one of the pioneers of ethnographic realism.