La Cothurne (Tragic Pose from Le Jeu d'escharpe) c. 1895 - 1900

Curator: Agathon Léonard sculpted this piece, titled "La Cothurne (Tragic Pose from Le Jeu d'escharpe)," around 1895 to 1900. The medium is bronze. Editor: It strikes me as something unearthed from a theatre, a sort of tragic goddess caught mid-performance, eternally striking a pose. Curator: Indeed. Léonard was commissioned to produce sculptures of dancers performing "Le Jeu d'escharpe," Loie Fuller's innovative dance using voluminous fabric. What you see here is actually one piece from a larger table centerpiece made up of posed dancers. It's important to recognize its origins in mass-produced functional design. Editor: Knowing its function as part of a centerpiece adds another layer. Imagine that extravagance, that casual display of artistic production! Still, it does project that fin-de-siècle drama, the romantic aesthetic, a pre-war golden moment. Is it bronze throughout? The figure seems to have different patinas or possibly even different materials. Curator: That’s correct. Léonard employed both gilt and silvered bronze. The contrast elevates the impact of her dynamic gesture. You can see how the ruffled sleeves of her dress mirror the shape of her foot. It’s also vital to understand that figures like these represent the complex division of labor within foundries at the time, with various craftspeople each responsible for elements such as chasing or finishing. Editor: It's funny how these rigid social delineations within production are mirrored by the artifice of her pose! Even her garment, almost obscuring her completely, renders her as something more than an individual. This blurring of self, production, and display. . . it tickles the brain. Curator: Well, reflecting on Léonard's work underscores how integral material processes and labor structures are to the formation of artistic and social value at the time. It helps us rethink notions of artistic authorship itself. Editor: Thinking about those makers, each person refining and adding to this image… gives me a strange kind of comfort. Everything contributes; everything matters!