Self-Portrait as a Chimera
1875–1885
- Medium
- Brass
- Dimensions
- 31.8 × 34.9 × 31.8 cm (12 1/2 × 13 3/4 × 12 1/2 in.)
- Genre
- Sculpture
- Museum
- Art Institute of Chicago
Tags
firing (heating)self-portraitsfrancenineteenth century19th centuryMythologywomancasting (process)Chimerafrenchportraitwingssymbolismmythicalsculptureinorganic materialwomenbronzesculptingcopper alloysculpture techniques
About
French actor and artist Sarah Bernhardt was perhaps the first global superstar, with legions of admirers spread across Britain, continental Europe, North and South America, and as far afield as Australia. In this fantastical bronze inkwell, she portrayed herself as a chimera, a mythological creature composed of disparate body parts. Here, Bernhardt joined her human torso and head to clawed haunches, bat wings, and a dragon-like tail. The work is a key example of her inspired use of visual media to fashion and promote her own image.