Known as Woman from the French Colonies, this reduction in polychrome-patinated bronze epitomizes of the oeuvre of Charles-Henri-Joseph Cordier, one of the most celebrated ethnographical sculptors of the second half of the 19th century. Cordier’s oeuvre is typified for its effective use of colour as well as different materials, including different marbles and the use of silvering and enamelling techniques.
A small number of related versions can be found in The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Musée d’Orsay and the Davis Museum, Wellesley College; these are dated 1861 and it seems probable that the offered lot was executed around this time.
In his unpublished memoirs Cordier cites the French law of April 27, 1848 abolishing slavery in France and in its colonies, "My art incorporated the reality of a whole new subject, the revolt against slavery and the birth of anthropology." This statement is shown clearly in the Woman from the French Colonies, where he puts emphasis on natural beauty and grace.
The artist travelled extensively in Africa and gained an international reputation for the portrayal of different ethnicities, and was initially inspired by the Orientalist movement in art, in particular the works of Eugène Delacroix (1798-1863). Cordier’s oeuvre developed a scientific approach where his sculptures show a startling realism and beauty. He wrote in 1865 “race as it is found in its relative beauty, in its absolute truth, with its passions.”