Profile of a Child (Marguerite): M.2-2001

Current Location: In storage

Titles

Profile of a Child (Marguerite)

Maker(s)

Sculptor: Matisse, Henri

Entities

Relief

Description

Bronze, cast, supported on a polished black marble stand. Rectangular with the head of Margeurite in profile to right.

Place(s) associated

Paris

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (2001) by Whitbread, Humphrey

Dating

20th Century, Early
Production date: AD 1903

Note

Marguerite (the model for this bust) was the daughter of Matisse’s model and mistress, Camille. She was born on 31 August 1894 in the workhouse lying-hospital at 89 rue d’Assas, Paris. After Matisse’s marriage in 1898 to Amélie Parayre, the latter became very attached to Margeurite, and eventually took her in and brought her up with her own children.

Matisse is remembered by most people as a painter, but sculpture was an important aspect of his work. The majority of his sculpture was conceived between 1900 and 1909, but was not cast in bronze until towards the end of his life, or posthumously. The bronzes were cast mainly by the founders, C. Valsuani or A. Bingen-Costenoble of Paris. In the second decade of the century Matisse concentrated on painting but included representations of sculpture in about twenty of his interior views and still lifes. In the mid-1920s he returned to creative sculpture of human figures, creating many more between then and about 1932, but only three between the end of the 1930s and his death.

People, subjects and objects depicted

Project

Sculpture UK

Components of the work

Stand composed of black marble
Profile composed of bronze
Sculpture Depth 2.5 cm Height 12.8 cm Width 9.4 cm
Bronze Height 12.5 cm Width 9.5 cm
Mount Height 16 cm Width 12 cm