76 - Charles Henri Joseph Cordier (1827–1905)

Charles Henri Joseph Cordier (1827–1905) Singing Moor from Algiers Model created around 1856 Bronze bust with a dual patina of reddish-brown and greenish-brown Signed “C. CORDIER” under the left arm H. 43 cm Throughout his life, Charles Cordier was interested in the study of human diversity. While maintaining the scientific approach of ethnographic study, he sought to show the public, in the wake of the abolition of slavery, “the ubiquity of beauty.” Throughout his travels, Cordier, as a humanist, boldly challenged the conventional wisdom of that conformist turn-of-the-century era to reveal the beautiful uniqueness of peoples around the world. Drawing on the “morphotype” studies he brought back from these journeys, Charles Cordier went on to create a collection of sculptures combining polychrome marble, onyx, enamel, bronze, and silver—works of great innovation and opulence. Related literature: -Christine Barthe, Laure de Margerie, *Charles Cordier (1827–1905): The Other and the Elsewhere*, Paris, Ed. de la Martinière, 2004, models listed under nos. 360–383, pp. 188–191.