Claire Jeanne Robertine Colinet (1880-1950), Juggler, C. 1920 / - Artistic Naturalness -

Claire Jeanne Robertine Colinet (1880 Brussels - 1950 Asnières-sur-Seine), Juggler, around 1920. Brownish patinated bronze with gilded balls on a round, multi-profiled stone base (10 cm high). 47 cm (total height) x 20 cm (width) x 25 cm (depth), weight 5.7 kg. Inscribed on the plinth “CL. JR. COLINET” on the plinth, numbered and with the foundry mark ‘J. B. Deposee, Paris’.

- Gilding on the balls partially lost, patina somewhat rubbed in places, hairline crack on the upper part of the left arm



- Artistic naturalness -


Balancing on one toe only, the naked beauty performs an acrobatic dance figuration with three golden balls. The posture of the fingers and toes shows the necessary body tension, yet the movement appears completely natural, as if it were performed by itself. It was precisely this effect of seemingly natural artificiality that the Italian Renaissance hailed as the highest art. Although the bronze figure itself does not move, when viewed from different perspectives, it performs an expansive choreography that unfolds with the grace of a juggling dancer. Her nearly closed eyes lend the movement a fluid, dreamlike quality, so that the harmonious movement seems to be a direct expression of her inner self.



About the artist

Claire Jeanne Robertine Colinet was a student of Jef Lambeaux in Brussels and subsequently worked as an independent sculptor. From 1913, she exhibited regularly at the Salon of the “Société des Artistes Français”. Her dancing, animated female figures made her an esteemed artist.