Bust In Bronze " Mignon " , Emmanuel Villanis (1858-1914)

Bronze bust with double patinas , representing a bust of a young girl called " MIGNON " by Emmanuel Villanis .
Bronze marked " Salon. 1896 " .
Signature of the sculptor " E. VILLANIS ", in hollow , on the back of the bust .
Old cast iron .
Early 20th century period , Art Nouveau .
Very good state of preservation and patina .

Emmanuel Villanis (1858 - 1914)

French sculptor linked to the Art Nouveau movement .
He comes from a family of Italian origin .
In 1871, the young man enrolled at the Albertina Academy of Fine Arts , in Turin ; there he followed the teaching of the sculptor Odoardo Tabacchi .
As soon as he finished his studies , his master encouraged him to exhibit : his " Alda " bust was presented in Milan in 1881 .
He fled Italy because of the War of Independence .

In 1885 , Villanis moved to Montmartre , a district of Paris that he never left .
The fame of the artist is built on his production of female figures .
Aida , Judith , Delilah , Lucrece , Cinderella : the work of Emmanuel Villanis brings together the great heroines of opera , literature , mythology and the Bible .

Villanis also discusses certain types—the Gypsy , the Châtelaine , or even the Parisian —and several allegories , including Painting and Sculpture . Produced mainly in bronze , sometimes chryselephantine , Villanis' sculptures bear the lettering of the title that regularly adorns the plinth .
His play on the patina adds even more finesse to the line , making Emmanuel Villanis one of the major sculptors of Art Nouveau .

E . Villanis participated in the Universal Exhibition of 1889 in Paris , and that of Chicago in 1893 .