Berber Woman – Polychrome Bronze Bas-Relief by Louis Hottot
$3,000.00
Or Best OfferA finely detailed 19th-century polychrome bronze bas-relief by French sculptor Louis Hottot, portraying a Berber woman with captivating grace and poise. Her garments and jewelry—rendered in delicate high relief—are richly adorned with traditional North African motifs, complete with ornamental beads, earrings, and layered textile textures.
This work exemplifies the Orientalist fascination of the period, where French academic artists celebrated and romanticized non-European cultures. Hottot’s skilled use of polychrome accentuates the jewelry and fabrics in reds and golds, giving life and warmth to the metal surface. The composition captures a moment of introspection, with the subject gazing downward, arms gently crossed in a quiet and composed posture.
Signed “L. Hottot” in the upper right corner and mounted in a striking red velvet mat and black ebonized frame, which enhances the dramatic tone of the bronze.
Inscribed upper right: L. Hottot