Description

An exceptionally rare and beautifully preserved 1920s female wax bust by the celebrated Parisian mannequin maker Pierre Imans.

She is a remarkable survivor from the golden age of the Parisian display mannequin. Her elegant elongated neck, delicately modelled shoulders and upward-looking pose give her an almost theatrical presence. The face is particularly expressive, with large glass blue-grey eyes framed by dramatic lashes, finely painted brows, softly blushed cheeks and vivid red lips opening to reveal a perfect row of porcelain teeth. Her expression is wonderfully characteristic of the period: glamorous, optimistic and unmistakably Art Deco.

Perhaps her most striking feature is the extraordinary silver metallic wig, closely fitted around the head and beautifully styled with sculpted waves and large coiled rosettes over the ears. Combined with her pale green bodice with its delicate ornamental border, it creates the image of an elegant fashionable woman straight from the 1920s.

The realism for which Pierre Imans became famous is immediately apparent. His figures were admired for their extraordinarily lifelike complexions, expressions and poses, and his Paris workshop became one of the leading names in luxury mannequins and specialist display figures.

What makes this particular bust even more exceptional is her condition. Despite being approximately a century old, she remains remarkably close to her original appearance. The delicate modelling of the face, colouring, eyes and overall character have survived beautifully.

History

Pierre Imans founded his mannequin workshop in Paris in 1896. Dutch-born and trained under sculptor Ludovic Durand, Imans developed an international reputation for creating astonishingly realistic figures. His work was exhibited internationally, and his mannequins became associated with the elegance and sophistication of Parisian fashion display.

Importantly, Imans did not produce only conventional shop-window mannequins. His atelier created specialised models for hairdressers, milliners, jewellers and other luxury trades, adapting his figures to the particular products they were intended to display.

This bust belongs to that fascinating tradition. Rather than serving simply as a fashion mannequin, she was used as a model for the presentation of wigs. Her elegant head position and beautifully modelled face provided the perfect setting in which fashionable hairstyles and wigs could be presented to customers.

Even more remarkably, the bust is known to have had only one owner throughout her working life before entering the collection. This unusually direct provenance gives her a special intimacy: for decades she remained with the same owner and fulfilled the very purpose for which she had been created.

Today, such early display busts are increasingly difficult to find, particularly examples retaining so much of their original character and surviving in such extraordinary condition. Wax and the early materials used for lifelike mannequins were inherently vulnerable, which makes well-preserved examples especially significant. Contemporary scholarship likewise notes the refined, almost flesh-like quality achieved by Imans in his modelling.

After almost 100 years, she still possesses the extraordinary presence that Pierre Imans intended: not simply a commercial display object, but an idealised woman of her era.

A rare survivor of 1920s Parisian display culture, a witness to the history of hairstyling and fashion, and a beautiful example of the artistry of Pierre Imans.

MUS-064