Agathon Léonard "Danseuse Tambourin à Droite" Gilt Bronze Sculpture

Agathon Léonard initially envisioned his ‘Jeu de l’Echarpe’ as a series of wall reliefs intended for the foyer of a theater. On the encouragement of the director of the Sevres porcelain factory, the series was rendered as a series of three dimensional figures, to be presented on a lavish dinner table. Her loosely fitting dress, liberal hand gestures and understated embellishment evoke a sense of emerging societal change. The figures were meant as an amalgamation of several renowned women of the stage, including Cléo de Mérode (1875-1966), Sarah Bernhardt (1844-1923), and the iconic Loïe Fuller (1862-1928), served as inspirations for the figures. The Susse Frères foundry obtained the rights to produce the bronze centerpiece as early as 1901, and it is estimated that between 100 and 130 examples of the figures were executed by Susse by 1935.