Susan D. Durant (1827-1873) Ruth, 1869 White marble bust Signed and dated on reverse: "Susan.D. Durant. 1869 " Titled "RUTH" on the front in red paint Height: 73 cm Provenance: Château du Perthuis. Exhibition : Royal Academy exhibition, 1869, under no. 1289 Related works : - Susan Durant, Harriet Beecher Stowe, plaster, 1856, 5.8 x 34.5 x 28.5 cm, Castle Howard Collection, York, no. inv X89111 ; - Susan Durant, The Faithful Shepherdess, 1863, marble, approx. 210 cm, London, Guildhall Art Gallery; - Susan Durant, Baron Henry de Triqueti, 1864, marble, signed "Susan D. Durant fec.1864", 70 x 49 x 33 cm, Montargis, Musée Girodet, no. inv.3793 ; - Henry de Triqueti, Étude pour le pilastre Ruth et Booz, 1868, black stone, pen, brown ink, 17.8 cm x 9.7 cm, Paris ENSBA ; - Henry de Triqueti, Figures of Sarah and Isaac, study for the mosaic of Abraham and the angel bringing Isaac back to Sarah after the sacrifice, drawing and tracings, for the Wolsey Chapel, Paris, École des beaux-arts EBA 5095 ; - Henry de Triqueti, Study for the panel Abraham and Isaac, 1866-1867, black stone, blue and brown pencil, red chalk, 40.1x 34.8 cm Paris, ENSBA. Bibliography: - The exhibition of the Royal Academy, 1869. The 101st. 1869, London, William Clowes and sons, p.60, no. 1289; - Charlotte Yeldham, Women artists in nineteenth-century France and England: their art education, exhibition opportunities and membership of exhibiting societies and academies, with an assessment of the subject matter of their work and summary biographies, A Garland Series, Oustanding Theses from the Courtault Institute of Art, New-York, Garland,1984, pp.296-297 ; - Shannon Hunter Hurtado, Genteel Mavericks: professional Women sculptors in Victorian Britain, Cultural Interactions Studies in the Relationship between the Arts, vol.27, Peter lang, 2012, this work illustrated fig. 18, p.81 ; - Sara Gray, British Women Artists. A Biographical Dictionary of 1000 Women Artists in the British Decorative Arts. Dark River, 2019. Related literature: - Ss dir I. Leroy-Jay Lemaistre, Henry de Triqueti 1803-1874, Le Sculpteur des Princes, cat. exp, Orléans, musée des Beaux-Arts, Montargis, musée Girodet de Montargis, October 3, 2007-January 6, 2008, Paris, Hazan, p.128 et seq. and p.113-143 ; - Emma Hardy, M.G. Sullivan, Ingrid Roscoe, A biographical dictionary of sculptors in Britain, 1660-1851, New Haven, Yale University Press, 2009 - Shannon Hunter Hurtado, Genteel Mavericks: professional Women sculptors in Victorian Britain, Cultural Interactions Studies in the Relationship between the Arts, vol.27, Peter lang, 2012, p.173 ff ; - Anne Rivière, Dictionnaire des sculptrices, Mare & Martin, 2017, p.185 ; - M.Sterckx, "Being Sculptor and Woman in Europe in the Long 19th Century: "A symbol of frontiers crossed"', in Linda Hinners (ed.), Nordic women sculptors at the turn of the 20th century. Formation, Visibility, Self-Creation, Stockholm Nationalmuseum, 2022, pp.12-19 ; - Jonathan Marsden, "Princess and Pupil. New works by Susan Durant and Victoria, Princess Royal of Prussia", in Perspectivia, 2023 ; - Tabitha Barber and Tim Batchelor, Now You See Us: Women Artists in Britain 1520-1920, Tate, London, May 16-October 13, 2024, London: Tate Publishing, 2024, pp. 122-123. This impressive marble bust, preserved by the descendants of Henry de Triqueti, is a major work by English sculptor Susan Durant. It was during Henry de Triqueti's busy decorative program for Wolsey Chapel that Susan Durant created this impressive bust of Ruth, inspired by the Old Testament. Married to a Hebrew immigrant in Moab, Ruth left her homeland after his death and traveled with her mother-in-law, Naomi, to Bethlehem. There, she was allowed to glean in the wheat fields of Boaz, a wealthy farmer and Naomi's relative. On Naomi's advice, Ruth kept a modest attitude among the farmhands working on the harvest. One night, as a sign of her devotion, she lay down at the feet of Boaz, who was sleeping in the field. Deeply moved by her virtue and fidelity, he eventually married her. This imposing portrait of a young woman dressed in traditional Jewish costume, adorned with large earrings and a clasp in the shape of a sheaf of wheat evoking gleaning, conveys the idea of modesty, acceptance of one's fate and loyalty [...]. WE INVITE YOU TO CONSULT THE DETAILED DESCRIPTION BY DOWNLOADING THE "COMPLETE SHEET" DOCUMENT OR BY REFERRING TO THE PDF CATALOG.