Hallowe’en is just around the corner; what better time to present a screamingly garish example of a dual-signed (Cordey and M.B. Cybis) lady bust? Although most Cordey pieces were not exactly shrinking violets when it came to design, I was truly taken aback by the color choices on this one – especially because it is also signed M.B. Cybis. This example popped up on eBay last year, but I have only summoned up the courage to include it in the Archive now!
Taking it from the top (literally!), this gal’s headgear is downright weird. Not because of the dipped lace, which was almost standard on Cordey pieces, but it’s that odd vertical…. hmm, what is that, anyway? It can’t be a mantilla comb, because on a real person it would not be covered with lace. Is it part of her hairstyle? As far as the lace itself goes, the purple is a bit much, I think. Especially with the three large aquamarine-blue flowers that adorn it. Or are stuck into her hair; I’m not sure which.
Perhaps a profile or back view will help. Umm, no; not really. Still not sure what that vertical thing is, except that now its shape resembles a toilet-paper roll. (You don’t suppose…. nah, couldn’t be.) And what’s with the purple paint extending past the lace veil/shawl, onto her blue dress? Did she get caught in the rain and experience a ‘dye run’?
Oh, my goodness…look at what the photo of the right-side profile has revealed. The aqua/blue roses are not stuck into her hair or into the lace veil; they are attached to a zebra-striped ribbon. Okay, so we have lavender/purple lace, turquoise-blue roses, and black zebra stripes. Did Andy Warhol design this??
“Let’s throw some yellow and brown in here for good measure, on a country-girl style of bodice. Oh, and don’t forget some black pin-striping too!” An unlucky seven flowers didn’t even receive black painted centers.
The sloppiness of the painting is simply horrifying. Truly, I have no words. Most five-year-old children could do a better job than this. I don’t know what’s scarier: That this piece went out the door to a retail store, or that somebody actually bought it.
The presence of the M.B. Cybis proves that we cannot blame this on some hung-over painter at the Philadelphia Cordey location. With that signature on it, this piece could only have been made in Trenton. Which means that there’s no other title to give it but Nightmare on Church Street!
Please note that I do not/cannot provide information (identification, current market value, etc.) about Cordey pieces that are not ALSO signed either Cybis or M.B. Cybis.
Name Index of Cybis Sculptures
Visual Index (for human figures/busts only; no Cordey)
About the Cybis Reference Archive
What is Cybis?
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The Cybis Archive is a continually-updated website that provides the most comprehensive range of information about Cybis within a single source. It is not and never has been part of the Cybis Porcelain studio, which is no longer in business.
THE CYBIS ARCHIVE 