A large French cold-painted spelter sculpture depicting a North African or Arab handler standing beside an ostrich. The figure stands with arms crossed, dressed in a draped tunic highlighted with warm bronze and gold tones, while the ostrich rears its neck upward with an open beak. The entire model rests on an integrated Orientalist-style stepped base decorated with carved geometric motifs and a bracketed rim.
France. Circa 1890.
H_50 cm W_32 cm
Very good condition; retaining original cold-painted finish with minor age-appropriate surface wear.
In the late 19th century, French sculptors and foundries produced cold-painted spelter (régule) figures inspired by the popularity of Orientalism. These large decorative models featured detailed depictions of Middle Eastern traders, desert guides, and exotic wildlife, capturing realistic textures in draped clothing and plumage to serve as eye-catching mantelpiece and console displays.
This model demonstrates late 19th-century French Orientalist decorative sculpture, combining cold-painted finishing, expressive figural modeling, and a large-scale composition.
