Bust of Victorian / Art Nouveau Woman?

Hello everyone!

Hope all of you are doing well!

Was wondering if you could help me with this little dealyo.

Couple things:

1- it is not magnetic, so bronze or spelter?

I hear I can scratch it and if it's bright silver underneath it's spelter.

2- How old do you think this is?

3- Should I remove it from the base, as it does unscrew? Would a signature ever be under the bottom?

- Any help would be greatly appreciated!



Thank you in advance!

 

Dimensions are always appreciated. If that's too hard then just put an object of known size in the pic-say a 12 oz pop can or 20 oz, plastic drinking water bottle.

No need to scratch it, plating is already worn off of hat brim, look there.

 

Thank you for the reply! Yes, I should have included that information! It's a miniature, only about 6 1/2" inches tall (including base).

Thank you again for the reply!

 

Call it Belle Epoque.

Looking at the bottom should clarify if it's bronze or spelter, but if it doesn't want to come apart easily, don't force it.

I would remove the felt from the bottom as it is having a visible influence on the color of the base.

 

A Gibson Girl, possibly Art Nouveau, would describe this spelter bust. Like moreother said, Belle Epoque also. I would probably date her style to the 1890s-c1910, but not necessary the timeframe when actually done.

--- Susan

 

I doubt if this is any earlier than the second half of the 20th C. I am inclined to 1970s decor shop item.

 

from the traces of the statuette on the stone base it either turns around freely or is a marriage. that gold color looks as if spray-painted "antique gold" and then partly wiped off to give it an antique touch. French IMO, originally bronzed spelter but tinkered around with.

 

The spelter screws off from a bolt which I believe is at the bottom of the base. Not 100% sure as I have not removed it yet but will do so. I honestly think it's cast pretty well, so not sure if 1970 decor is correct.

 

A lot of these cast pieces on onyx bases were reproduced heavily in the 1970s, so I'm kind of feeling the same as AF. I had a pair of candlesticks on onyx bases with similarly cast cherubs with floating banners.

 

Makes sense, I had someone look at it and they did some searching and couldn't find another like it. They were saying 1950's-1960's. But I'm sure that could be extended into the 1970's.