Signed Adrien Etienne Gaudez, Mandolin player, Circa 1890, polychrome glazed earthenware, Sarreguemines, France

Created by the sculptor Adrien Etienne Gaudez, this young woman, dressed in troubadour style, was first produced in plaster, before various bronze versions were produced by the Susse foundry, among others. The Galerie Vauclair mandolin player is the only known example in earthenware. Its colors and one-piece construction suggest that it was made at the Sarreguemines faience factory. Until the 1880s, Gaudez seems to have favored neoclassical subjects inspired by mythology, such as L’Enfance de Jupiter, which he presented at the 1878 Salon, and Flore et Cérès at the 1880 Salon. La Joueuse de mandoline (The Mandolin Player), on the other hand, should be included in a second phase of his career, more influenced by recent history or the Middle Ages, whose influence was notable in the late 19th century.