CAST BY GRAUX-MARLY, PARIS, THIRD QUARTER 19TH CENTURY

Orientalism, a western fascination with the exoticism of distant continents, was popularized by romantic notions of colonialism and theatrical representations of otherworldly opulence, such as the operas L'Africaine and Aïda. In sculpture it brought both a legitimate academic interest in ethnography and, in lending itself to the use of colour, was part of the reaction against the predominance of monochrome neo-classicism. The Nubian slave was a popular subject, and although this example is unsigned, it is characteristic of the best sculptors of the genre, notably Charles Cordier and Emile Guillemin, who, in their use of polychrome decoration, also played to the Second Empire's love of luxury.

The Parisian fondeur Graux-Marly was established in 1845, winning a bronze medal at the Exposition Universelle in 1849 and a first-class medal for the bronzes d'art et d'ameublement six years later.