Woman Bathing her Feet

Makerattributed to Barthélemy Prieur (French, 1536 - 1611)

ClassificationsSCULPTURE

Dateca. 1600

Mediumbronze

Dimensions6 1/2 in. (16.5 cm.)

DescriptionThis sculpture portrays a nude female figure, seated on a draped pedestal. Beside her is a vessel of water in which a cloth has been immersed.

Credit LineThe Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens

Label TextIn the second half of the 16th century, Prieur worked as court sculptor to Duke Emanuel-Philibert of Savoy and to King Henry IV of France. In addition to the celebratory and monumental bronzes he produced for these important patrons, he created a number of small figures of men and women engaged in domestic and other informal activities. These intimate bronzes must have appealed to a wide range of collectors, who would have appreciated their tactile charm. This group (17.8, 17.15-17.20) is one of the finest and largest of Prieur's small bronzes, which Henry Huntington acquired in 1917 from the collection of J.P. Morgan.

Status

On view

Object number17.15