Fantasy Bust of a Veiled Woman (Marguerite Bellanger?)

Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse

National Gallery of Art

The head, shoulders, and upper chest of a woman are sculpted from light brown terracotta in this freestanding sculpture. In this photograph, the woman’s shoulders are angled very slightly to our right, and she turns and tips her head to look off to the left. She has a straight nose, full lips, and a dimpled chin. Fabric lies over curls piled atop her head and around her neck. Thin cloth drapes across her shoulders and chest, revealing one nipple. The bottom edge of the sculpture is curved, and the bust sits on a round, red stone base with molding at the top and bottom, and a tall, inward-curving cove around the center. The sculpture is photographed against a pale gray background.