Details
EMILE-CORIOLAN-HIPPOLYTE-GUILLEMIN (FRENCH, 1841-1907)
Janissaire and Circassian; a pair
each signed 'Ele Guillemin' (to the base)
bronze, medium-brown patina
70 in. (177.8 cm.) high, the taller
65 in. (165 cm.) high, the smaller
Cast circa 1880.
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Lot Essay

Exquisitely cast and chased, these imposing figures belong to a series of full-length and bust-length works by Émile-Coriolan-Hippolyte Guillemin, the acclaimed 19th century French sculptor whose œuvre spanned the diverse genres of the age. However, it is the artist's fascination with the Middle East for which he became specifically acclaimed, namely creating Orientalist works which defined the genre. Characterized by an exceptional attention to detail, the present pair are meticulously modeled with life-like intricacies to the figures
costumes, accoutrements and revolvers. Comparable decoration is evident on the artist's celebrated busts of Femme Kabyle d'Algérie and Janissaire du Sultan Mahmoud II, circa 1880. A related pair of polychrome figures is illustrated in S. Richemond, Terres Cuites Orientalistes et Africanistes, Paris, 1999, p. 181.

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