Emmanuel Villanis (1858-1914) Young Slave In Chains Seated

Sculpture of a young seated slave in chains. Proof in polychrome patinated spelter and bronze. Height 25 cm, Base 12 x 19 cm. Signed "E. Villanis" on the bench. Bibliography: "Les bronzes du XIXe siècle - Dictionnaire des sculpteurs" by Pierre Kjellberg. Les Éditions de l'Amateur Paris 2005. Identical sculpture reproduced on page 681. Villanis, of Italian origin, enrolled at the Turin Academy where he studied under the sculptor Odoardo Tabacchi. In 1885 he settled in Montmartre. He exhibited at the Salon des artistes français between 1886 and 1910, and participated in the Universal Exhibition in Paris in 1889 and that of Chicago in 1903. Mostly in bronze, sometimes chryselephantine, his sculptures with subtle patinas bear the imprint of Art Nouveau.