THE HYDE VILLIERS MAILLOL BRONZE
ARISTIDE MAILLOL (FRENCH, 1861-1944): A BRONZE FIGURE OF 'JEUNE FILLE SE VOILANT LES YEUX'
the nude girl reclining on a tree stump, her right arm covering her face, on a naturalistic integral base, dark brown patination, signed 'ARISTIDE MAILLOL'
21.7cm high

Provenance: Purchased byEric Hyde Villiers DSO, (1881-1964) in Paris after the First World War, thence by descent to his son James Michael Hyde Villiers (1933-1998) and to his wife Lucy Villiers.

The Villiers family are one of England's most eminent aristocratic families with historic links to royalty dating back to the 17th century with George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham (1592–1628) who was a favourite of King James I. Perhaps most famous of the Villiers family was Barbara Villiers, Duchess of Cleveland (1640–1709) who was mistress of King Charles II and had five children by him. Eric Hyde Villiers, who first acquired this bronze in the early 20th century whilst living in Paris and a director of Martell cognac; was the son of Sir Francis Hyde Villiers, and the grandson ofGeorge Villiers, 4th Earl of Clarendon. Upon his death in 1964 the bronze passed to his son James Michael Hyde Villiers, who was a well known actor who had studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and whosefilm roles includedThe Damned (1961), Eve (1962), King and Country (1964) and Roman Polanski's Repulsion (1965). Hisaristocratic ancestry was often reflected in the types of roles he played, such asKing Charles II in the BBC series The First Churchills (1969), the Earl of Warwick in Saint Joan (1974), and Lord Thurlow in The Madness of George III. Upon his death in 1998 his wife Lucy Villiers inherited the bronze.

This figure was conceived in 1900; and another example was recently sold at Christie's, Paris 23 March 2018, lot 244, 72,500 euros.

Literature: J. Rewald, Maillol, Paris, 1939, p. 166, no. 114-115 (another cast illustrated).
W. George, Maillol, Paris, 1971, p. 65 (another cast illustrated).
W. George, Aristide Maillol et l'âme de la sculpture, Neuchâtel, 1977, p. 246, no. 140 (another cast illustrated, pl. 140).