Affortunato Gory (active Between 1895 And 1925) - Salomé, Ca. 1910

Marble sculpture: 95 cm (height) Signed at the base Affortunato GORY is an artist of Italian origin who arrived in Paris to continue his training, was exhibited at the Salon until the start of the First World War. He is known for his various sculptures representing mainly women. His reputation is also made by the different compositions he creates with marble, gilded and patinated bronze, as well as ivory, and especially for his chryselephantine sculptures. Here, the artist represents Salome, a Jewish princess from the beginning of the first millennium, who requested the head of Saint John the Baptist from her father-in-law Herod Antipas. The story has been taken up by several painters, such as Pierre BONNAUD with his famous Salomé painted around 1900, but also by writers like Victor HUGO and Oscar WILDE. Here, Affortunato GORY is inspired by the famous dancer Maud Allan (fig.6), who played the first role of Salomé at the Opera.