3674 - Raphaël Nannini, large bust of Richard Wagner

Raphaël Nannini, large bust of Richard Wagner circa 1900, signed R. Nannini, foundry mark: Bronze A.G. Paris (Arthur Goldscheider), bronze with a nuanced brown patina, depicting the renowned German composer, writer, director and conductor Richard Wagner with his head turned slightly to one side, gazing intently at the viewer; in good condition for its age, with some very minor scuffs in places; H 43 cm. Artist’s biography: Italian sculptor (1852, Florence - 1925, Lastra a Signa), studied at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Florence, worked in Italy and, for a time, in Paris, where, around 1900, he lived with his sister-who was also a sculptor-in the artists’ colony ‘Les Fusains’ in Montmartre; Nannini primarily created decorative small-scale sculptures, busts and statuettes in bronze, marble and chryselephantine works (bronze and ivory); stylistically, his works lie between late Historicism, Art Nouveau and early Art Deco, and were distributed by, amongst others, Parisian art dealers and bronze foundries such as Les Neveux de Jules Lehmann and Edmond Etling. He took part in exhibitions, including the Salon of the Société des Artistes Français in Paris and, in 1897, the Autumn Exhibition at the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool. Source: Musée d’Orsay, Artist’s Entry - Raphaël Nannini; Alberto Shayo: Statuettes - Art Deco Period. Antique Collectors’ Club, 2016; Mapping the Practice and Profession of Sculpture in Britain and Ireland 1851-1951.