In Particular this piece of artwork stood out for me, not just as an individual, but it did come (as it looked) in a pair. This piece was created by an artist called Pietro Calvi and titled, A Black Queen. 1881. Bronze, bust with white marble sculpture.

When looking at sculpture through an image,you can’t depict the sculpture’s texture or detail truly. In person, the sculpture seems to stand proud, yet sad when looking into the eyes. There is strong detail lining of the hair, crown and cape; as well as fine placement of rule jewels placed around the females neck. The black figure is prominently shown by the white of her clothes. Her ethnicity is pushed towards the foreground, which reminded me strongly of Kerry James Marshall’s work.

The sculpture Calvi studied at the Milan Academy was taught by Seleceroni Hid first creations were sculptures of Ophelia, and then moved on to specialize in coloured sculpture. This means the use of bronze and coloured marble. The bust is an example of this technique of marble and bronze. The work also stood out to me because in relation to the rest of the exhibition on Merton’s collection, Calvi’s piece rebelled against just looking into white power, and classic landscape scenes. His work wasn’t just a white bust, or a full nude female figure. It showed power and strength through contrast and detail.

https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pietro_Fortunato_Calvi