1930s Terracotta Sculpture of Serge Lifar as Daphnis by Emmanuel Cavacos - 17"

This petite terracotta sculpture, signed by Emmanuel Cavacos and dating to the 1930s, portrays the celebrated dancer Serge Lifar in the role of Daphnis, the pastoral hero of Daphnis et Chloé. Conceived as a ballet by Michel Fokine to the music of Maurice Ravel, the work became emblematic of early 20th-century neoclassicism, blending antiquity, lyricism, and modern movement.

The kneeling figure rises in a dynamic arc, arms lifted and body fully engaged, capturing the expressive intensity of dance in three dimensions. Apart from a simple headband, the figure is rendered nude, a deliberate reference to classical ideals of beauty and harmony, and to Lifar’s own advocacy of a renewed, heroic classicism in ballet. The modeling is crisp and assured, with finely articulated musculature and a lively turning profile animated by subtle shifts in posture. The warm terracotta surface is enriched by a carefully worked patina, with tonal variations that soften the planes and lend depth to the form. The sculpture rests on its original terracotta base, painted to imitate wood, and is mounted on a wooden plinth fitted with a small label hand-inscribed with the subject.

Lifar (1905–1986) was a towering figure of mid-20th-century culture, a star of the Ballets Russes who later directed the Paris Opera Ballet and helped define the neoclassical revival in dance. Emmanuel Cavacos (1898–1973), a French sculptor of Greek origin, returned repeatedly to dancers in his work, drawn by the challenge of translating movement into form. It is only natural, then, to find Lifar among his models: a meeting of one of ballet’s most influential figures with a sculptor deeply attuned to the poetry of motion. Display this piece where light can graze the surface so the sculpted movement fully unfolds. Both a tribute to one of the great figures of modern ballet and a sensitive sculptural study of movement and form, this work brings a poetic, classical presence to an interior, whether displayed on a pedestal, console, or within a collection of figurative sculpture.

Condition and patina consistent with age.
Approx. overall 17" high x 9" long x 6¾"
Approx. overall 43cm high x 23cm long x 17cm