Cinderella, 1881

Emile Namur (1852-1908) was a Brussels sculptor of mainly graceful nudes and fantasy busts. He made decorative sculptures for the façade of the Brussels town hall. In 1876 Namur was a co-founder of the 'Cercle des Elèves et Anciens Elèves des Académies des Beaux-Arts de Bruxelles', from 1879 known as L'Essor. Despite the progressive ambitions of this artistic circle, its initial members such as Namur were rather conservative. He had his greatest success with his sculpture of Cinderella, which was presented at the Brussels Salon of 1881. Afterwards, it travelled to various salons and world exhibitions (Amsterdam, Antwerp, Paris). In addition to the plaster design, several versions exist in bronze, marble and terracotta. Its success generated numerous public commissions for the Royal Flemish Theatre, the Jardin botanique and the Museum of Ancient Art, among others. The sculpture was praised for its 'simplicity, perfect elegance and extremely fine sensitivity', the artist for his 'pure style and conscientious study of nature'. Today, he is mainly criticised for his 'lack of intellectual ambition and originality' and the 'anecdotal or decorative character of his sentimental genre scenes'.