DESCRIPTION: Emmanuel Villanis (Italian/French, 1858-1914). Bronze bust of a woman. "Nerina". Signed on base "E. Villanis" and stamped with "531 J.P." and circular seal of the "Societe les bronzes de paries". Emmanuel Villanis was born in Lille, December 12, 1858 of Italian parents. After the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, in March 1861, the Villanis returned to their country and settled in Piedmont. From 1871 to 1880, Emmanuel Villanis was a student at the Academy of Fine Arts Albertina in Turin where he studied with master sculptor Odoardo Tabacchi (1831-1905). In 1885, Emmanuel Villanis finally returned to France to live and work in Montmartre, a district of Paris which he did not leave until his death on August 28, 1914. His seventeen sculptures exhibited at the Salon des Artistes Francais. included four busts of Nerina (Salon of 1887) MEASUREMENTS: 12-1/2" tall. CONDITION: Abrasions and patina throughout surface, especially on tip of nose. Wooden block inserted in base, possibly used to mount to another surface.