A Bronzed Plaster Bust of a Goddess, France circa 1900

Probably French, circa 1900, After the Antique
Bust of a classical goddess, possibly Niobe
Bronzed and gilded plaster, the socle painted in imitation porphyry
47 cm. / 18 ½ ins high

This plaster appears to be copying an unidentified antique bust of a classical Graeco-Roman goddess, possibly Niobe. A restored Roman bust of the so-called Niobe in the Palazzo Altemps, Rome (inv. No. 8586), shows a similar composition of the braided hair falling at the sides and the head downturned slightly to sinister.

In the present bust, there is a layer of gilt paint below the top layer of bronzing and the socle has been very realistically painted in imitation porphyry. A bust in iron based on the same model is in the collection of Galerie de Beauregard, Paris and is dated to the 19th century.

In Greek mythology, Niobe was a queen of Thebes, daughter of Tantalus, and wife of King Amphion, who is known for her tragic story of excessive hubris. She boasted of her superiority to the goddess Leto, who had only two children (Apollo and Artemis), while Niobe had fourteen (six sons and six daughters). To punish her, Apollo killed all of her sons, and Artemis killed all of her daughters. Overwhelmed by grief, Niobe was turned into stone.