Terracotta Sculpture of an Archer's Hand, Fragment Study on Wood Base

Fragment sculpture — hands and partial limbs cast or modeled in terracotta — was a recognized studio exercise and a finished decorative form in its own right throughout the 19th and into the early 20th century, prized by collectors of curiosities for the way an isolated gesture can suggest an entire narrative without the rest of the figure.

This piece renders a clenched hand drawing back an unseen bowstring, gripping a shaped terracotta form left rough and irregular along one edge, as though broken away from a larger figure — the fragment aesthetic reads as deliberate rather than as damage. It is mounted on a small wood base. The piece carries a signature, though it is not legible in the photographs provided, so the maker cannot be identified with confidence. It is offered as art deco in date, though beyond the seller's own description no maker or period evidence has been confirmed. Leaving a sculpted fragment with a deliberately rough, broken edge rather than finishing it as a complete figure was itself a recognized stylistic choice — makers used it to suggest antiquity or evoke a classical ruin, a technique known as non-finito that borrowed its prestige from Michelangelo's unfinished marbles and from Grand Tour souvenir fragments.

Condition is excellent overall, per the seller. The piece has clearly been well cared for, and now moves forward to a new setting. Well suited to a shelf, a mantel, or a cabinet of curiosities, where the gesture of the hand can be appreciated up close.

Standing 30 cm high including its wood base, the piece has real presence despite its compact, single-gesture subject.

DETAILS
Size: 30 cm high including base (11.8 in
Material: terracotta on a wood base
Style-Period: art deco
Shipping: professionally packed, fully insured, worldwide — we handle the paperwork, with all import duties paid by us; nothing to settle on delivery
Condition: excellent overall
Returns: accepted within 30 days

Read our condition standard. Please ask if you need additional photographs or measurements.

Worldwide delivery is included in the price. Every piece is individually packed, tracked and fully insured. No shipping charge is added at checkout. If your destination is not listed, please contact us before ordering.

Maison Jaspers pays US tariffs and import duties. For other destinations, local import taxes and duties may apply and are payable by the recipient. Contact us before ordering if you need destination-specific guidance.

Dispatch timing is shown above. Transit time depends on your destination.

Delivery information

Notify us within 30 days of delivery if you wish to return a piece. No reason is required. You pay return shipping for a change-of-mind return.

Return instructions and your consumer rights