59 - AGATHON LEONARD (1841–1923)

AGATHON LEONARD (1841–1923) “Dancer with a Bracelet” A hard bisque porcelain figure depicting a young woman wearing a flowing, pleated draped dress with flared sleeves, her head tilted to the left, her hands raised in a graceful gesture evoking dance. Stamped with the Sèvres Manufactory mark at the bottom of the dress, on the back, indicating the year of production, 1923, and the initials of the mold maker and restorer, CR. Model number “No. 3” on the reverse of the base. Height: 44.5 cm - Length: 21.5 cm - Width: 20.5 cm A figure in hard-paste porcelain biscuit. Stamped, monogrammed, and numbered. 17 1/2 x 8 1/2 x 8 1/8 in. HISTORY: This statuette was part of a group of fifteen figures titled “Le Jeu de l’écharpe,” presented by the artist in 1897 as a proposal for a dance studio. At the request of the Sèvres Manufactory, the set was subsequently produced as a table centerpiece for the 1900 World’s Fair. After winning a gold medal at the World’s Fair, the Sèvres Porcelain Manufactory subsequently produced each of the figures individually, in two sizes. The statuettes were produced by the Sèvres Manufactory until the late 1930s. The destruction of most of the molds, ordered between 1940 and 1943 to free up space in the storage areas, made their reproduction impossible. Only the molds for two dancers, Nos. 4 and 12, were preserved in their original size and can still be used today by the Manufacture nationale de Sèvres to produce these dancers.