Marble and gilt bronze Orientalist sculpture by Hautot

Marble and gilt bronze Orientalist sculpture by Hautot
French, Early 20th Century
Figure: Height 60cm, width 20cm, depth 18cm
Base: Height 12.5cm, width 30cm, depth 30cm
Overall: Height 72.5cm, width 30cm, depth 30cm
 
This early 20th-century sculpture by French artist Rachel Hautot (1882–1935), exemplifies her distinctive blend of European training and North African influence. Hautot trained under Laurent Marqueste at the École des Beaux-Arts, and moved to Tunisia in 1912, where she became renowned for her dynamic depictions of traditional dress and culture.
 
The sculpture depicts a musician, mouth open in song, holding a hand drum. His face and limbs are cast in gilt bronze, while his drapery is carved from white marble. The figure stands on a textured stone base with a green onyx plinth.
 
A photograph of this work was featured in a posthumous exhibition in Tunis, after which her sculptures were returned to Normandy. Today, fewer than seventy of Hautot’s works are known to exist, many housed at the Musée Thomas-Henry in Cherbourg.
 
This sculpture offers a rare and significant addition to any collection, showcasing Hautot’s masterful combination of materials and her unique artistic vision.
 
Artist/Maker: Hautot, Rachel (French, 1882-1935)