Marguerite

José de Creeft, Marguerite, 1918, bronze on stone base, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Lorrie Goulet, 1983.34
Copied José de Creeft, Marguerite, 1918, bronze on stone base, 17 5⁄8 x 8 7⁄8 x 10 1⁄4 in. (44.7 x 22.6 x 26.0 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Lorrie Goulet, 1983.34

Artwork Details

Title
Marguerite
Artist
Date
1918
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
17 5⁄8 x 8 7⁄8 x 10 1⁄4 in. (44.7 x 22.6 x 26.0 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Lorrie Goulet
Mediums
Mediums Description
bronze on stone base
Classifications
Subjects
  • Figure female — head
  • Portrait female — unidentified — Marguerite
Object Number
1983.34
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1983.34

Artwork Description

Marguerite demonstrates José de Creeft’s talent for bronze work, which he learned while apprenticing at a foundry in his youth. De Creeft often sculpted female forms and attributed his love for the human figure to his Mediterranean heritage, which made him feel “closer to the earth.” Marguerite’s varied textures and subtle details create an expressive, naturalistic portrait that contrasts with the sculptor’s abstract figures. Although his bronze portrait heads were in high demand, he preferred to work mainly in stone, which he found more satisfying.