Louis Samain

This impressive bust of Marie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen portrays the sitter with a finely rendered hairstyle and a skilfully carved pearl necklace, demonstrating a high level of artistic and technical mastery. 

Born in 1845 in Sigmaringen, Germany, Marie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen was a member of the illustrious House of Hohenzollern. In 1867 she became Countess of Flanders by marrying Prince Philippe of Belgium, Count of Flanders. Their son became King Albert I of Belgium. Spending most of her married life in Belgium, Marie was an accomplished painter as well as the patron of a literary salon.

One of Belgium's foremost sculptors of his time, Louis Samain studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels under Louis Simonis. In 1864 he won the Prix de Rome and in 1889 received a gold medal at the Universal Exhibition in Paris. In 1895 he joined the Parisian Society of French Artists. He executed several important public commissions in Nivelles and Brussels.

Dated 1867, the present bust was carved during the artist's sojourn in Rome and captures the Countess as a young woman in the year of her marriage.