Advanced Search 
Self Portrait of Sarah Bernhardt
Portrait of Louise Abbema
Self Portrait of Sarah Bernhardt
Sarah Bernhardt (French, 1844–1923)
French
1875
Object Place: Europe, France
Medium/Technique
Metal; bronze
Dimensions
Overall: 21.5 x 18.1 x 3.8 cm (8 7/16 x 7 1/8 x 1 1/2 in.)
Credit Line
Otis Norcross Fund and Gift of Robert A. Radloff and Ann Beha
Accession Number1989.196
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsEurope
ClassificationsSculpture
DescriptionOval bronze plaque with profile portrait in relief of Louise Abbema wearing a plumed hat and bow at her neck.
InscriptionsInscribed (in the wax) on front: "A Mon Amie Louise Abbema, Sarah Bernhardt 1875". Inscribed (in the bronze) on back: "S. Martin, Fondeur"
Provenance1875, given by the artist to Louise Abbema (b. 1858 - d. 1927) [see note 1]. June 16, 1978, possibly anonymous sale, Hôtel Drouot, Paris, lot 15 [see note 2]. 1989, Sandorval and Co., Inc., New York; 1989, sold by Sandorval to the MFA. (Accession Date: June 21, 1989)
NOTES:
[1] Abbema was also an artist and a close friend of Sarah Bernhardt. The portrait is inscribed: "A Mon Amie Louise Abbema, Sarah Bernhardt 1875." [2] It has not yet been established whether the object in this sale is the MFA object, or a variant of nearly identical dimensions.
NOTES:
[1] Abbema was also an artist and a close friend of Sarah Bernhardt. The portrait is inscribed: "A Mon Amie Louise Abbema, Sarah Bernhardt 1875." [2] It has not yet been established whether the object in this sale is the MFA object, or a variant of nearly identical dimensions.