Nubian torch-bearer in polychrome and gilded wood on a cante - Lot 138

Nubian torch-bearer in polychrome and gilded wood on a canted pedestal H : 196 cm Note: The vogue for the exotic, which began in the 18th century with everything from the Far East, continued in the early 19th century with everything from Africa and America. The publication of Daniel Defoe's adventures of Robinson Crusoe in 1719, followed by Bernardin de Saint Laurent's Paul et Virginie by Bernardin de Saint Pierre in 1788 spread the image of the good savage living in an idyllic nature untouched by the white man. Numerous decorative objects represent this theme, confusing the African, the black slave in North America and the American Indian. The fashion for these good savages lasted until the 19th century, notably with the spread of Chateaubriand's Atala, published in 1801. Bibliography : E. Schlumberger, "L'heure exotique", in Connaissance des arts, Paris, 1978, n° 318, p. 30. Nineteenth century.