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Lot 332A
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19th C. Victorian Alabaster Bust of Composer Richard Wagner
19th C. Victorian Alabaster Bust of Composer Richard Wagner
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Western Europe, Victorian era, ca. 1850–1899 CE. A finely carved alabaster bust portrays the German composer Richard Wagner, the stone's translucent, creamy surface lending his features a quiet vitality. The sculptor captures the high domed forehead, deep-set eyes, and firm jaw of the maestro, with a knotted cravat and softly modeled frock coat rendered in crisp folds across the chest. The figure rests on a turned alabaster socle, raising the head to a commanding eye level. An incised label reading "WAGNER" appears beneath the bust above the base, confirming the identity. Such commemorative busts of celebrated cultural figures were prized parlor ornaments in Victorian households, where reverence for music and the arts found expression in domestic sculpture. The polished, luminous stone and assured handling mark this as a serious decorative tribute to one of the nineteenth century's most influential composers. Size: 8" W x 14" H x 5" D (20.3 cm W x 35.6 cm H x 12.7 cm D).

Richard Wagner (1813-1883) reshaped the course of Western music with his concept of the Gesamtkunstwerk, or "total work of art," fusing music, drama, poetry, and stagecraft into unified operatic spectacle. His monumental cycle "Der Ring des Nibelungen" and works such as "Tristan und Isolde" and "Parsifal" pushed harmonic language toward the edge of tonality and anticipated much of twentieth-century music. The opening of his purpose-built Bayreuth Festspielhaus in 1876 made him a cultural icon across Europe, and his likeness, with its distinctive profile and ever-present cravat, became a staple of commemorative portraiture in the decades surrounding his death.

Provenance: private Owen collection, Sussex County, New Jersey, USA; ex-private USA collection, acquired from Berman's Auction, New Jersey, USA ca. 2000

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Item # 189864

  • Condition: Very Good. Mounted to base with adhesive visible. Chip to verso of base and some nicks and abrasions in areas, all commensurate with age. Otherwise, very nice with good remaining detail.

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by Artemis Fine Arts
June 25, 2026 9:00 AM MDT
686 S. Taylor Avenue
Suite 108
Louisville, CO, US 80027

Artemis Fine Arts

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $299 $25
$300 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
$200,000 + $20,000