Ormolu and marble bust of a young lady by Gory

The sculpture features the white marble head of a young woman. The lady’s head is turned slightly to the left, her eyes are closed, and she smiles slightly. The woman’s wavy hair is centrally parted and tied up in a plaited bun. An ormolu (gilt bronze) hairband is threaded through her hair, and she wears an ormolu blouse. The bust sculpture is set on a waisted socle with a square base, carved from a red-veined marble.

‘A Gory/ Paris’ is signed on the back of the woman's left shoulder. Affortunato Gory was an acclaimed 19^th-Century artist, best-known for his Art Deco figurative sculpture, which he often crafted from a combination of ormolu (gilt bronze), marble and ivory. Gory was born in Italy, and he studied at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Florence under the famous sculptor, Augusto Rivalta. Gory then travelled to France to be educated by the artist Victorien-Antoine Basset. He exhibited at the Salon des Artistes Français on multiple occasions between 1901 and 1923.