Belle Epoque Lady Bust by Auguste Moreau
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A spelter bust of a Belle Epoque lady by Auguste Moreau, circa 1900, the pedestal bust in bronze colours featuring a fashionably attired young woman in a tightly laced frilled bodice, her coiffed hair dressed with a ribbon, inscribed Aug. Moreau to base, height: 31 cm
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- Spelter - Spelter was the name given to an alloy of zinc and brass or copper used in the 19th century for statuary and lighting. It is a brittle bluish-white metal. It was used as a cheap replacement for bronze, but being brittle easily breaks and can't be repaired. When finished it can often be mistaken for bronze, but if discreet a scratch on the base displays shows a greyish colour, the metal is spelter, if a golden colour the metal is most likely bronze.
- Circa - A Latin term meaning 'about', often used in the antique trade to give an approximate date for the piece, usually considered to be five years on either side of the circa year. Thus, circa 1900 means the piece was made about 1900, probably between 1895 and 1905. The expression is sometimes abbreviated to c.1900.
- Belle Epoque - The Belle Époque, also known as the "Beautiful Era," was a period in European history that lasted from the late 19th century to the outbreak of World War I in 1914. The term is most commonly associated with France, but is also used to refer to the same period in other countries, particularly in Western Europe and Latin America.
During the Belle Époque, Europe experienced a time of great prosperity and cultural, artistic, and scientific advancements. It was an era of peace and optimism, characterized by industrial growth, urbanization, and new technologies such as electricity, automobiles, and the telephone. The period is also associated with a flourishing of art and culture, particularly in the fields of literature, music, and the visual arts. - Bronze - An alloy of copper and tin, traditionally in the proportions of about 9 parts of copper to 1 part of tin.
The discovery of bronze in Western Asia in the 4th century enabled people to create metal objects which were superior to those previoulsy possible because of its strength and hardness, and it has been used throughout the world for weapons, coins, tools, statuary and other decorative items.
It is very fluid in a molten state, and its hardness, strength when set, and non-corrosive properties makes it most suitable for casting sculpture.
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