Lot Essay
The present bust by Lecorney depicts Marguerite, the innocent and beautiful heroine of Gounod's opera Faust (1859) and a popular subject for portrayal in late 19th Century sculpture. The aged Faust falls in love with the young maiden and enters into a devillish pact with Mephistopheles, whereby he trades his soul for renewed youth and the symbollic 'flower' of Marguerite.