Bust of a woman
Prosper d'Epinay (Port Louis Mauritius 1836 - Paris 1914)
Category
Art / Sculpture
Date
1878
Materials
Marble
Measurements
20.5 in (Height)
Place of origin
Rome
Order this imageCollection
Hughenden, Buckinghamshire
NT 429098
Summary
Marble, bust of a woman, by Prosper d'Epinay (Port Louis Mauritius 1836 - Paris 1914), 1878, inscribed on back 'P d'Epinay/ Rome 1878'. A white marble bust of a woman, turned to proper left, with the hair in loose curls and swept high on the crown, styled in a loose top knot with curls cascading down the back of the neck. The woman wears a sheer and richly draped chemise, gathered at the top of the proper left shoulder and fastened with a button, the proper right side draped off the shoulder, with a shawl wrapped around the proper right forearm. The woman wears a string of pearls, double wrapped about the neck, and terminating in a jewelled pendant with pearl drop. Mounted on a marble socle, cracked and repaired. The bust is historically catalogued as a portrait of Alexandra of Denmark (1844-1925), Queen of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Empress of India from 1901 to 1910, as wife of Edward VII. However the sitter bears little resemblance to confirmed busts of Queen Alexandra by Prosper d'Epinay, such as those in the Government Art Collection (0/599/124), the Russell-Cotes Museum (SC64b BORGM), and the monogrammed statuette sold as 'An elegant lady holding a fan', Sotheby's, New York, Old Master & 19th century European Art, 6 June 2008, lot 101.
Marks and inscriptions
'P d'Epinay/ Rome 1878'
Makers and roles
Prosper d'Epinay (Port Louis Mauritius 1836 - Paris 1914), sculptor