Standing model
Signed Carl Milles. Foundry mark L. Rasmussen, Køpenhavn. Bronze, dark patina. Height 71.5 cm (including wood base 7.5 cm).
The sculpture in the present lot is rare with only a handful copies existing. It is most likely an early work from the artist's youth in Paris. During this time, Milles worked for his living as an ornamentation carver. He executed a few sculptures up to 1901, most of which are unfortunately lost and unaccounted for today. The female figure is depicted in a classical pose with her feet closed together and one hand placed on her hip. Her intricately lined hair, which is tied with a bow, displays Milles's rich details.
Carl Milles was a Swedish sculptor born in Lägga. He studied at the Technical School in Stockholm, at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris under Auguste Rodin and on study trips to Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. In Paris he came to stay for many years and made a living as an ornament carver. He studied the animals in the Jardin des Plantes (the Zoological Garden) and was strongly influenced by Auguste Rodin. Milles made a breakthrough with a monument to Sten Sture in Uppsala. He exhibited at the World's Fair in 1900 and was later given a solo exhibition at the Tate Gallery in London. Milles was professor of modeling at the Royal Academy of Arts in Stockholm. Well-known sculptures in public places signed by Carl Milles are the "Gustav Vasa" statue at the Nordic Museum, "Orfeusgruppen" outside the concert hall in Stockholm and the "Poseidonfontänen" in Gothenburg.
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