Woman Sewing thumbnail 1
Woman Sewing thumbnail 2
Not currently on display at the V&A

Woman Sewing

Statuette
ca. 1870 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Possibly a sketch for Dalou's figure of La Brodeuse (The Sewing Lady), a plaster of which was shown in the Salon of 1870. Its success was such that a marble was ordered by the State, but work was not begun until 1880, after Dalou's return from exile in England.

Aimé-Jules Dalou (1838-1902) was the son of a glove maker and initially trained in drawing at the Petit École in Paris. There he was encouraged to do sculpture. In 1854 he entered the École des Beaux-Arts, where he trained for four years. He was known for his left-wing political sympathies and was involved in the establishment of the Paris Commune in 1871. After his overthrow he was forced into exile in London, where he lived from 1871 until his return to Paris in 1879. In London he frequently exhibited at the Royal Academy and he was given a teaching appointment at the National Art Training School in South Kensington (later the Royal College of Art), where he had a profound effect on the development of British sculpture.


Object details

Category
Object type
TitleWoman Sewing (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Terracotta
Brief description
Statuette, sketch model, terracotta, woman sewing, by Aimé-Jules Dalou, England, ca. 1870
Physical description
Seated figure of a woman sewing. The woman is seated on a simple chair, her legs crossed. She looks downwards and slightly to the right.
Dimensions
  • Height: 31.5cm
Object history
Bequeathed by Miss S.M Forbes in 1934. Transferred to the Bethnal Green Museum in 1970, and returned to the V&A in 1983.
Production
Possibly a sketch for the figure of La Brodeuse, a plaster of which was shown at the 1870 Paris Salon
Subjects depicted
Summary
Possibly a sketch for Dalou's figure of La Brodeuse (The Sewing Lady), a plaster of which was shown in the Salon of 1870. Its success was such that a marble was ordered by the State, but work was not begun until 1880, after Dalou's return from exile in England.

Aimé-Jules Dalou (1838-1902) was the son of a glove maker and initially trained in drawing at the Petit École in Paris. There he was encouraged to do sculpture. In 1854 he entered the École des Beaux-Arts, where he trained for four years. He was known for his left-wing political sympathies and was involved in the establishment of the Paris Commune in 1871. After his overthrow he was forced into exile in London, where he lived from 1871 until his return to Paris in 1879. In London he frequently exhibited at the Royal Academy and he was given a teaching appointment at the National Art Training School in South Kensington (later the Royal College of Art), where he had a profound effect on the development of British sculpture.
Bibliographic references
  • Albinson, Cassandra, Dalou in England: Portraits of Womanhood (1871-1879), exhibition leaflet, Leeds: Henry Moore Institute, 2008.
  • Bilbey, Diane with Trusted, Marjorie. British Sculpture 1470 to 2000. A Concise Catalogue of the Collection at the Victoria and Albert Museum. London: V&A Publications, 2002. p. 241, cat. no. 364
Collection
Accession number
A.37-1934

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Record createdDecember 3, 2008
Record URL
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