Alfred Jean Foretay

ALFRED JEAN FORETAY (Switzerland, 1861-1944).
"Semiramis", ca. 1900.
Art Nouveau bust in patinated terracotta.
Signed on the right side.
Published in the book "Terres Cuites Orientalistes et Africanistes 1860-1940" by Stephane Richemond. Publisher: Les Editions De L'amateur, 1999. Page 174 , with colour photo (detail).
Size: 70 x 45 x 25 cm.
Sammu-Ramat, better known as Semiramis, was the queen regent of the Assyrian Empire (reigning from 811 to 806 BCE) who occupied the throne of her young son Adad Nirari III until he reached maturity. She is also known as Shammuramat or Sammuramat. She was the wife of Shamshi-Adad V (who reigned from 823-811 BCE) and, when he died, assumed power until Adad Nirari III came of age, at which time he ceded the throne to her. This woman achieved remarkable fame and power in her lifetime and beyond, and had considerable influence at the Assyrian court.
At the age of 16, Alfred Jean Foretay went to Paris, where he studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in 1877 and exhibited at the Salon de la Société des Artistes Français. As a pupil of Falguières, he received an honourable mention in 1891 and a gold medal in 1904. In addition to numerous decorative sculptural works, Foretay produced numerous figures and busts in the Art Nouveau style.