French school; 19th century. "The Reader. Alabaster. Slight... Lot 49

French school; 19th century. "The Reader. Alabaster. Slight flaws in the alabaster. The fingers need to be restored. Measurements: 100 x 30 x 40 cm. Sculpture made in alabaster which presents a young lady standing on a square base. The work stands out for the delicacy it inspires due to the delicate features of the face and the softness of the folds of the dress. The young woman holds a book in her hands, resting on her waist. Both the dress and the hairstyle refer to aesthetic models of the past. The term "historicism" (Historismus) was coined by the German philosopher Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel. Over time, what historicism is and how it is practised has acquired different and divergent meanings. Elements of historicism appear in the writings of the French essayist Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) and the Italian philosopher GB Vico (1668-1744), and were more fully developed with the dialectics of Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (1770-1831), influential in nineteenth-century Europe.