"Antinea" by Demetre Chiparus

An outstanding example of Art Deco sculpture, Antinea is a magnificent creation by Demeter Chiparus, widely regarded as the foremost sculptor of the period. This exotic and captivating dancer stands gracefully with arms raised, framed by an elaborately decorated drapery cascading to the ground. Beautifully cast in bronze, the figure displays an exceptional combination of gilt, silvered and cold-painted enamel finishes, highlighting the intricate costume and exquisite detailing. Raised on a striking geometric marble and onyx base featuring a colourful sunburst design, the sculpture perfectly captures the glamour, elegance and exoticism of the Roaring Twenties. Signed D. H. Chiparus and inscribed with the prestigious Etling foundry mark. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Height: 68 cm Width: 30 cm Condition: Excellent Original Condition Circa: 1925 Materials: Bronze, marble and onyx Foundry: Etling et Cie, Paris Book Ref Chiparus Master of Art Deco by Shayo Page No. 46 - 47 SKU: 9684 ABOUT Antinea – The Legendary Queen of Atlantis Antinea was the beautiful and mysterious Queen of Atlantis, immortalised in Pierre Benoit's celebrated 1919 novel L'Atlantide. Believed to be descended from Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea, she possessed an almost supernatural beauty and an irresistible power over men. Ruling over a secret kingdom hidden deep within the Sahara, Antinea was portrayed as a seductive enchantress whose beauty made her irresistible. Her legendary presence and divine ancestry gave her the appearance of a Greek goddess, inspiring artists of the Art Deco period, most notably Demetre Chiparus, who captured her exotic beauty and commanding elegance in bronze. Chiparus – The Master of Art Deco Romanian by birth, Chiparus worked entirely in Paris, first exhibiting in the Salon of 1914. He is best known for his figures or exotic dancer made of carved ivory and highly worked bronze. The subjects of these chryselephantine works were taken from popular personalities of the day, from contemporary theatre characters and the Orientalist zeitgeist in Paris in the interwar years, as exemplified by Diaghilev’s Ballets Russe. Chiparus’s early figures, those on a relatively simple bases, were primarily cast by Etling, a Paris foundry the retailer of contemporary French decorative arts in the 1920s and 1930s. The later pieces were made by the Les Neveux de J Lehmann foundry which specialised in making the more elaborate marble and onyx plinths The Ballets Russes The Ballets Russes was a ballet company established in 1909 by the Russian impresario Serge Diaghilev and performed until his death in 1929. It created a sensation in Western Europe because of the great vitality of Russian ballet compared to French dance and penetrated every facet of entertainment. The great Paris music halls, the Folies Bergère, the Casino de Paris, the Moulin Rouge and others put on spectacular shows inspired by the Ballet Russes. Chiparus attended the music halls and purchased all the magazines which illustrated the dancers. His wife and occasional models posed for him as he varied some of the photographed illustrations, never wasting a good attitude, this gave Chiparus an inexhaustible supply of material and influence from which he derived his most flamboyant, exotic and dramatic statues, frozen in spectacular attitudes, tall and sensuous. Chiparus’s repertoire symbolises a brief golden era and the sculptures that survived stand graceful, self-confident and proudly decorative To view our selection of Chiparus figures please click here.