Henri Allouard, Dona Ximena, wife of El Cid (1885)

HENRI ÉMILE ALLOUARD (Paris, 1844-1929) Bust of Dona Ximena (wife of El Cid) 1885. Plaster. H. 72 cm. Signed on the pedestal, right side: Allouard. Signed on the pedestal, left side: E. BLOT Titled on the pedestal, front: Dona Ximena. Exhibits some minor accidents. Henri Allouard presented a work titled "Dona Ximena; - bust, plaster" at the Salon of 1885. In addition to the sculptor's signature, our plaster also bears the signature of the bronze publisher, Eugène Blot (also the publisher of Camille Claudel), on the pedestal, left side. This suggests that it likely served as a model for a bronze edition. Curiously, only one bronze example is known and documented, located in Brazil, while the plaster remains unpublished.