Terracotta Woman Figurine with Basket — Historicism / Louis XVI Style, France / Austria-Hungary, c. 1880–1910

Terracotta Female Figure with Basket — Historicist / Louis XVI Influence, France / Austria-Hungary, circa 1880–1910

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📐 DIMENSIONS

Height 69cm, width ~41.5cm. Weight — considerable, solid terracotta.

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🏛️ PERIOD, ART STYLE, HISTORICAL CONTEXT

This figure belongs to that singular period in European sculpture when the Historicist idealisation of the past — above all the 18th-century fête champêtre and pastoral scenes beloved by Fragonard and Boucher in the Versailles court — still held firm in the bourgeois salons of Europe, while the organic sensuality of Art Nouveau was already entering through the folds of the dress, the plasticity of the hand, and the refinement of the facial expression. The figure depicts a young woman in folk dress — broad-brimmed hat, corset, and flowing skirt — stepping forward, one hand carrying a basket and the other extended in an indeterminate, almost poetic gesture. This is genre sculpture — a category that became a coveted bourgeois interior ornament across Europe in the second half of the 19th century, from the salons of Paris to the drawing rooms of Vienna and Prague.

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⚜️ MAKER AND MARKS

Several important markings are visible on the base: the inscription “REPRODUCTION RÉSERVÉE” (for “reproduction reserved / prohibited”) indicates that the figure was protected by the manufacturer’s copyright — a practice that became widespread in France and Austria-Hungary after 1880, as art market protection laws were consolidated. The model number 3489 points to the catalogue production of a large manufactory. The size designation “XXX” is a typical size-category marking used by Austro-Hungarian or manufacturers. The relief cartouche with a figure on the base is most likely a manufactory emblem — such marking is characteristic of the Viennese Goldscheider manufactory or Société Anonyme-type ceramic enterprises. The Friedrich Goldscheider manufactory, founded in Vienna in 1885, specialised in precisely this type of polychrome terracotta figure with detailed texture and naturalistic colouring, exporting its products throughout Europe including the Paris and London art markets.

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💎 RARITY AND SIGNIFICANCE

Large-format terracotta genre figures retaining the manufacturer’s mark, model number, and copyright inscription are a considerably rarer find than unmarked sculpture. The scale of this figure — above 50 cm — automatically elevates its collector value, as smaller formats were produced in far greater quantities. The polychrome colouring — with distinct tonal differentiation across the corset, skirt, and skin areas — is a hallmark of high-quality finishing. The precision of the basket detail — the twisted rim, the woven structure — testifies to a skilled sculptor’s hand in the original model. This figure has lived through two world wars, and the century of history it carries has only added depth to its presence.

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🕯️ USE IN INTERIOR, DESIGN AND PHOTOGRAPHY

This figure is a dominant presence — it cannot be placed in a corner. It demands its own position: on a console, a mantelpiece, the top of a library cabinet, or a dedicated plinth. In classical and eclectic interiors it functions as a sculptural declaration of the owner’s taste. In modern interiors it serves as a deliberate counterpoint: the warm golden-ochre tonal range of the terracotta responds beautifully to brass, gold, and dark wood elements. For photographers, this figure is a dream — the angle of her face, tilted downward, creates an expressively rich moment of restraint that a camera lens adores.

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🔍 CONDITION

The figure is in good antique condition given its age. The terracotta body shows no fractures or significant damage. The polychrome colouring has aged naturally — in places the paint has gained depth and patina that only enhances the visual effect. Minor calcification traces are visible on the base. The marks and model number are clearly legible. The basket detail is intact. The condition of the item is fully reflected in the photographs.