CAST FROM THE MODEL BY ÉMILE CORIOLAN HIPPOLYTE GUILLEMIN, PARIS, LATE 19TH CENTURY

In Shakespeare's tragedy first performed about 1603, Othello was a highly regarded Moor of Venice who married Desdemona, the daughter of a Senator named Brabantia. The villain Iago leads Othello to believe her unfaithful. Othello smothers her to death before learning of her innocence, after which he kills himself. The story was set to music in operas by Rossini in 1816 and Verdi in 1887.

Very few examples of this large bronze are known, making it a rare model. The excellent cast, fine detailing and parcel gilt emphasise Othello’s dramatic posture. Guillemin’s most prized sculpture is in the Orientalist genre and here he uses his ethnographic interest to portray one of Shakespeare’s greatest characters. For a note on Guillemin, please see Lot 108.