Chiparus' 'Dancer of Kapurthala' Bronze and Ivory Sculpture
Demetre H. Chiparus (1886-1947), 'Dancer of Kapurthala', circa 1925, cast and carved in cold painted bronze and ivory, depicting an exotic dancer balanced on her right leg, with her arms outstretched, above an onyx base, incised on the onyx base 'Chiparus', one foot stamped 55 and with a foundry tag impressed 'Ln / Paris / Jl' for Les Neveux de Jules Lehman, Paris, to the underside of the base, 22.64 in. high. Provenance. Angas Family Collection, South Australia. Private Collection, South Australia, by descent from the above. Literature. Bryan Catley, Art Deco and other Figures, Antique Collectors Club, London, 1978, p. 92 (illustrated, another example). Held in the distinguished South Australian Angas family collection for over ninety years, 'Dancer of Kapurthala' is believed to have been purchased new by Ronald Fife Angas in the late 1920s, before ownership passed to the present collection in 1992. The Angas family has a long history in South Australia, with the town Angaston named after the colony's founding father George Fife Angas. Chiparus's Dancer of Kapurthala is an alluringly slender figure whose movement is captured succinctly as she is poised on pointed toe with her arms raised. At the height of the Art Deco period, Demetre Chiparus continuously sought inspiration from the ancient and exotic, with a particular fascination with the arts and decorations of Asia and Egypt. However, his catalyst for creation was often contemporary. The direct source of inspiration for Dancer of Kapurthala appears to be Anita Delgado, a Spanish flamenco dancer, who captivated the heart of the Maharaja of Kapurthala. During his visit to attend the wedding of Spanish King Alfonso XIII, the Maharaja of Kapurthala, Jagatjit Singh Bahadur, became infatuated with Delgado after witnessing her perform. Initially refusing the Maharaja's advances, Delgado would later marry him in a Sikh wedding in India, and became the Maharani of Kapurthala, Prem Kaur.
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- Onyx - Onyx is a form of agate, used from antiquity and popular again in the 1920s and 30s. European onyx is generally green, but can be many other colours, and can contain bands of black and/or white.
This multicoloured stone is widely used for table tops, lamp bases and in jewellery. Some types of onyx are also used for cameos of which the upper white layer is cut away to reveal the colour beneath. - Art Deco Period - The Art Deco period was a cultural movement that emerged in the 1920s and 1930s, and was characterized by its emphasis on modernism, luxury, and elegance. The name "Art Deco" comes from the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes, a large exhibition held in Paris in 1925 that showcased the latest trends in decorative arts.
Art Deco was a reaction against the ornate and elaborate styles of the previous era, and reflected a new modern sensibility. It was characterized by streamlined, geometric shapes, bright colours, and the use of new materials such as chrome, glass, and Bakelite. Art Deco designers sought to create a sense of luxury and sophistication, often incorporating expensive materials such as ivory, marble, and rare woods.
Art Deco had a significant impact on a wide range of artistic fields, including architecture, fashion, graphic design, and interior design. Some of the most iconic examples of Art Deco architecture include the Empire State Building in New York City, the Hoover Building in London, and the Palais de Chaillot in Paris.
The Art Deco period came to an end in the 1940s, as World War II and changing cultural trends led to a shift in artistic styles. However, Art Deco remains an important influence on design and art, and continues to be celebrated for its modernist sensibility and glamorous aesthetic. - Cold Painted - This is term applied to so-called "Vienna bronzes" manufactured in that city starting in late part of the 19th century, and it continued in the early 20th century, but was also used by sculptors working in other areas of Europe at the time..
Traditionally bronzes are finished by treating them with various acids and chemicals and heats, and the patina is incorporated into the surface of the piece.
A cold-painted bronze is decorated with oil paints. The color was not fired, hence the term "cold painted". Reputedly the painting was carried out mainly by women working at home, a typical cottage industry. - 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. - 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.
- Incised - A record of a name, date or inscription, or a decoration scratched into a surface, usually of a glass or ceramic item with a blunt instrument to make a coarse indentation. Compare with engraving where the surface is cut with a sharp instrument such as a metal needle or rotating tool to achieve a fine indentation.
- Ivory - Ivory is a hard white material that comes from the tusks of elephants, mammoth, walrus and boar, or from the teeth of hippopotamus and whales. The ivory from the African elephant is the most prized source of ivory. Although the mammoth is extinct, tusks are still being unearthed in Russia and offered for sale.
Ivory has been used since the earliest times as a material for sculpture of small items, both in Europe and the east, principally China and Japan.
In Asia ivory has been carved for netsuke, seals, okimono, card cases, fan supports, animals and other figures and even as carved tusks.
In the last 200 years in Europe ivory has been used to carve figures, for elaborate tankards, snuff boxes, cane handles, embroidery and sewing accessories, in jewellery and as inlay on furniture. Its more practical uses include being used for billiard balls, buttons, and a veneers on the top of piano keys.
The use and trade of elephant ivory have become controversial because they have contributed to Due to the decline in elephant populations because of the trade in ivory, the Asian elephant was placed on Appendix One of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), in 1975, and in January 1990, the African elephant was similarly listed. Under Appendix One, international trade in Asian or African elephant ivory between member countries is forbidden. Unlike trade in elephant tusks, trade in mammoth tusks is legal.
Since the invention of plastics, there have been many attempts to create an artificial ivory
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