The Peasant Woman (La Paysanne)

The sculptor Agathon Léonard first created the prototype for this sensitive portrayal of a young woman with her hair covered in a kerchief for the Salon, the major annual art exhibition held in Paris since the 17th century. Léonard showed his marble bust in 1891 with the title “Le scapulaire,” referring to the small rectangular object that hangs from the young woman’s neck. A devotional scapular like the one depicted here, which are worn by devout Roman Catholics and other Christians, were to remind the wearer of their devotion to a particular saint or other religious commitment and to communicate that devotion to others.

Léonard adapted his sculpture to be reproduced in porcelain in the late 1890s when he worked as a designer for Sèvres, France's national porcelain manufactory. Sèvres included this model, now bearing the title “La Paysanne,” amongst its extensive display at the Exposition Universelle, a world’s fair held in 1900 in Paris. Other designs by Léonard were also featured at the 1900 world's fair, most notably a surtout de table, or table centerpiece, composed of female figures dancing and playing instruments. Titled "Le jeu de l’écharpe" (The Scarf Dance), it was widely acclaimed. Henry Walters purchased an example of one of the dancing figures that made up the centerpiece in late 1900 or early 1901, see accession number 48.1736, and acquired the Paysanne bust at the same time.

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Provenance

Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.

Manufacture National de Sèvres, Sèvres, France; purchased by Henry Walters, Baltimore, between November 1, 1900, and March 31, 1901; by bequest to Walters Art Museum, 1931.