  About the Artwork
  
  
  Charles Cordier was one of the first sculptors to innovatively explore and revive the ancient techniques of polychromed bronzes in the mid-19th century. He chose to dedicate his sculptural talents to representing a "gallery of the human races, in all their variety of beauty", which combined his academic training with his pursuit of ethnography and exoticism.

On 5 April 1856 Cordier was granted a fund of 1000 francs by the Musee d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris to visit Algeria. He chose to live among Algerian in the Casbah and found models among his Algerian neighbors.  

Cordier developed and used the recently invented electrolytic technique to create "oxidized silver" as the initial layer beneath the patina to better represent the radiant dark color of African skin. The elegant multi-coloration and the specific green patination are not seen on the other known bronze versions of the model. 

This bust was first exhibited in the 1862 London International Exhibition and was illustrated in a color chromolithograph in an 1863 book by J.B. Waring. 

Subsequently, this bust was included in the 1865 Paris Sale of Cordier's sculptures which Cordier organized to raise funds for a trip to Egypt. However, it is recorded Cardier bought back only this sculpture (for 1100 francs), indicating the considerable importance he placed on this high-quality cast.
  
  
  Title
  Mauresque Noire (Black Moorish Woman)
  
  
  Artwork Date
  1856
  
  Artist
  Charles Cordier
  
  
  
  Life Dates
  1827-1905
  
  
  
  
  Nationality
  
  
  
  Please note:
  Definitions for nationality may vary significantly, depending on chronology and world events.
  Some definitions include:
  Belonging to a people having a common origin based on a geography and/or descent and/or tradition and/or culture and/or religion and/or language, or sharing membership in a legally defined nation.
  
  
  
  French
  
  
  
  Culture
  
  
  
  Please note:
  Cultures may be defined by the language, customs, religious beliefs, social norms, and material traits of a group.
  
  
  
  
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  Medium
  Bronze, silvered, gilt, black, brown and green patina
  
  
  Dimensions
  Overall: 28 3/4 × 17 1/2 × 10 1/4 inches (73 × 44.5 × 26 cm)
  
  
  Classification
  Sculpture
  
  
  Department
  European Modern Art to 1970
  
  
  Credit
  Museum Purchase, Jill Ford Murray Fund and Mary Adelaide Hester Fund
  
  
  
  Accession Number
  
  
  
  This unique number is assigned to an individual artwork as part of the cataloguing process at the time of entry into the permanent collection.
  Most frequently, accession numbers begin with the year in which the artwork entered the museum’s holdings.
  For example, 2008.3 refers to the year of acquisition and notes that it was the 3rd of that year. The DIA has a few additional systems—no longer assigned—that identify specific donors or museum patronage groups.
  
  
  
  2012.14
  
  
  Copyright
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