Painted plaster on a wood base and cast bronze on a marble base, with a black patina, circa 1940. Both approximately 140 mm; 5 1/2 inches high, not including the base. The plaster head is inscribed "Van Loen" in paint on the backside.
Provenance: private collection, New York.
This remarkable pair of bronze and plaster casts of the same sculpure is a wonderful example to see a work of Richmond Barthé in two media. This head is a well known, and a very good example of the small scale work of Barthé. Another bronze cast of Julius is in the collection of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. With this and other heads like Head of a Boy and Mask of a Boy, Barthé demonstrated a great sensitivity and expressiveness on a small scale.
