Lithophane of Fanny Elssler Tying Her Ballet Shoes

Biscuit Porcelain, Chodau manufactory, Bohemia, c. 1890

The beautiful Fanny Elssler (1810-1884) was a ballet dancer, whose romantic style of expression fascinated Viennese society.This piece was originally illuminated by a candle, later electrified.

A lithophane is a thin piece of porcelain in which a relief image is produced by the sculptor manipulating the thickness of the clay to let certain amounts of light shine through the plate. The thinnest parts of the clay shine the most light, thus the light-struck components of the image are carefully balanced against the more dense “darker” ones.

Height: 12" Width: 10.5" Depth: 13"