Young Woman With A Jug, Carrara Marble, Signed Bonnal, Early 20th Century

Young woman with a jug, Carrara marble, signed Bonnal, early 20th century

Charming sculpture of a young woman carrying a jug, signed Bonnal on the back and inspired by the "Rebecca at the well" made by Guglielmo Pugi, an artist of the 19th century Italian School.

The sculpture in fine white Carrara marble, made between the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, represents a pensive and lascivious young woman dressed in the fashion of the beginning of the century: she wears a turban from which escape a few curls of hair and a bracelet characteristic of this period; the cut of her dress is also very elaborate for a simple peasant woman.
We also note the finesse of the embroidered patterns on the dress and the turban which demonstrate the mastery of the sculptor artist. A feminine and delicate piece which can easily be placed in an entrance hall or on a dressing table and which will be an adorable gift to offer to an aesthete woman.

Guglielmo Pugi lived in Florence, where he ran a sculpture workshop with his two sons. Their workshop, "Guglielmo Pugi e Figli", was mainly dedicated to export, especially to the United States. Guglielmo Pugi's work, emblematic of the Art Nouveau style, is distinguished by a direct carving of alabaster and Carrara marble (often white or veined). Some of his sculptures are now preserved at the Historical Museum of Alabaster in Volterra. Several of his works were presented at major international exhibitions, such as the 1901 Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo and the 1904 Universal Exposition in St. Louis.