While Dunand is best known for his works in lacquer, his training as a sculptor is evident in the skillful modeling of these snakes, while the confident handling of the metal demonstrates his abilities as a craftsman. Each snake is cast in bronze; the scales were chased and highlighted with gilding afterward.
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1970.198.8, 1970.198.7
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Artwork Details
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Title:Cobra
Designer:Jean Dunand (French (born Switzerland), Lancy 1877–1942 Paris)
Date:ca. 1919
Medium:Bronze, gold
Dimensions:15 in. × 6 in. × 9 3/4 in. (38.1 × 15.2 × 24.8 cm)
Classification:Metalwork-Bronze
Credit Line:Rogers Fund, 1970
Accession Number:1970.198.7
Inscription: Signed (underside, incised): JEAN DUNAND
[Galerie Sonnabend, Paris, until 1970; sold to MMA]
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Jean Dunand: Master of Art Deco," May 23–October 27, 1998, no catalogue.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Art Deco Paris," June 8, 2004–February 6, 2005, no catalogue.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Modern Design," March 30–December 3, 2006, no catalogue.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Poiret: King of Fashion," May 9–August 5, 2007.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Masterpieces of French Art Deco," August 4, 2009–January 23, 2011, no catalogue.
Emile Sedeyn. "Jean Dunand." Art et décoration 36 (September–October 1919), pp. 118–26.
Katharine Morrison McClinton. "Jean Dunand, Art Deco Craftsman." Apollo 116, no. 247 (September 1982), pp. 177–80.
Félix Marcilhac. Jean Dunand: His Life and Works. New York, 1991, p. 273.
Roberta Smith. "Art Deco Furniture Designs That Jazzed Up an Age." New York Times (December 11, 2009), p. C36.
Jared Goss. French Art Deco. New York, 2014, pp. 75, 254–55, no. 17, ill. (color, overall and detail).
Jean Dunand (French (born Switzerland), Lancy 1877–1942 Paris)
ca. 1927–28
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