Affortunato Gory

AFFORTUNATO GORY (Italy, active 1895–1925).
“Female Nude.”
Patinated bronze and Portoro marble.
Signed.
Measurements: 64 x 39 x 13 cm.
A sculpture of elegant decorative design, attributed to the Italian-French sculptor Affortunato Gory, depicting a nude female figure in a kneeling pose, with an elaborate ornamental hairstyle and a small white sphere held in her hands. The combination of patinated bronze with Portoro marble—China, Qing Dynasty, 19th century—makes this work stand out for the figure’s restrained sensuality, the delicacy of the modeling, and the contrast between the dark surface of the bronze and the luminosity of the sphere and the marble. Its composition, with a distinctly ornamental character, reflects the early 20th-century sculptural taste for the idealized female figure, situated between academic tradition and modern decorative stylization.
A sculptor of Florentine origin, trained under the guidance of Augusto Rivalta, Affortunato Gory spent most of his career in France, where he participated in several editions of the Salon des Artistes Français between 1902 and 1923. His body of work, linked to Art Nouveau and early 20th-century decorative sculpture, is notable for its female figures, dancers, and characters of classical and Eastern inspiration, created primarily in bronze and using combinations of materials such as marble and ivory. Among his best-known works are *Iris* (1904), *Bacchante with Cupids* (1914), and *Bouquetière* (1914). His work is found in private collections and is associated with the Art Nouveau museum scene, including the Casa Lis Art Nouveau and Art Deco Museum in Salamanca.