Bronze sculpture reproduction after the work of Emmanuel Villanis "The hostage", height: 46 cm
Bronze statue made with lost wax on a marble base.
Width: 17 cm - Depth: 14 cm.
Emmanuel Villanis (Lille, December 12, 1858 - Paris, August 28, 1914) is a French sculptor of Italian origin linked to the Art Nouveau movement. His last name is sometimes spelled "Villani", Italian style.
In 1861, his parents returned to Italy to settle in Piedmont. In 1871, the artist enrolled at the Academy of Fine Arts Albertina, Turin; he follows the teaching of the sculptor Odoardo Tabacchi (1831-1905). At the end of his studies, his master pushed him to exhibit: the bust Alda, for example, was presented in Milan in 1881.
In 1885, Villanis moved to Montmartre, a district of Paris he never leaves. The fame of the artist is built on his production of female figures. Aida, Judith, Dalila, Lucretia, Cinderella: her work brings together the great heroines of opera, literature, mythology and the Bible. Villanis also addresses certain types? the Bohemian, the Chatelaine, or the Parisienne? and several allegories, including Painting and Sculpture.
Made mainly in bronze, sometimes chryselephantine , his sculptures subtly bear the mark of the? Art nouveau ? including the lettering of the title, which regularly adorns the base. His remarkable play on the patinas adds to the fineness of the line, making Villanis one of the major sculptors of the Art Nouveau. Regarding the cast of bronzes, he works mainly with the Society of Bronzes of Paris and with Eugene Blot.