"Porteuse d'eau de Nubie", a gilt and patinated bronze figure Paris, 19th century

Inscribed GRAUX-MARLY to the base

Christie's London, March 19, 2008, lot 183

Overall in good condition. Bronze with some losses to patination due to rubbing and wear, particularly to high points. Gilding with losses due to rubbing and wear and areas of oxidation particularly to her headdress, vase, and base. Some minor scratches to bronze; surface dirt to crevices. Wood base with some minor chips and scratches consistent with use and age.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Orientalism was a Western fascination with the exoticism of other continents which became popular during the latter half of the nineteenth century. Romantic portrayals of African countries in contemporary literature and operas, such as L'Africaine and Aïda fueled this exoticism. In America, the Turkish Bazaar in 1876 at the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition further heightened the fascination with "Turkish" or "Moorish" subjects which lasted well into the 1880s. Orientalist themes allowed artists to break away from the formal monochromatic palette of Neoclassicism.  Their use of a variety of gilt and silvered bronze, marble, onyx, and colored stones was in stark contrast to the classically themed sculptures in bronze and marble fashionable in the preceding decades.  
The present sculptor, unidentified as yet, must have been looking at the 19^th century masters of ethnographic and orientalist subjects such as Charles-Henri-Joseph Cordier (1827-1905) and Emile-Corolian-Hippolyte Guillemin (1841 – 1907), while modelling the present composition of a water carrier. Cordier and Guillemin were both highly successful French Orientalist sculptors, specializing in figurative works and were inspired by the Middle and Far East.