Ricardo Aurilli, Bust of Judith, 1900, Terracotta

Superb polychrome terracotta bust representing a woman from Antiquity with a proud gaze carrying a dagger.
Beautiful quality sculpture, whether at the level of the hairstyle, the face, the drape of the clothes and the dagger.
We find the inscription "Judith" at the base, and the signature "Rdo Aurilli" on the side.

The woman represented is Judith, a biblical character whose exploits are recounted in the "Book of Judith". The story goes that this young Jewish widow would have seduced and then beheaded General Holofernes to liberate her city which was besieged by the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar.

Art Nouveau, circa 1900-1910.
By Ricardo Aurilli / Richard Aurili (1864-1943), Italian sculptor active in France and Belgium.
First trained at the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence where he befriended Raffaello Romanelli, he worked in Brussels in the 1880s and then in Paris in the 1890s. He participated in the Universal Exhibition of 1900, then returned to Florence where he became a professor at the Academy of Fine Arts.

In good general condition, small surface defects (slight, see photos).

Dimensions:
height 52cm
width 37cm
depth 30cm