Sarah Bernhardt, the most famous French actress of the early 20th century, became famous for her performance on the stage. However, acting was not her only talent. In the 1870s, Sarah Bernhardt became interested in painting and painted several portraits of her acquaintances, and after flying in a balloon she wrote the short story Among the Clouds. Two novels and several plays were later published. Another hobby of the actress was sculpture: for the group work Après la Tempête (“After the Storm”), the artist received an honorary award at the Paris Salon in 1876.
One of the sculptural works of Sarah Bernhardt is Self-Portrait as a Chimera (1875-1885). Bernard has created a completely functional item - a bronze inkwell: the part in the form of books can be removed, under it there is a container for ink. Despite the name, the artist moved away from the ancient representation of the chimera, which resembled something between a lion and a goat. In her performance, the creature looks like a young woman with dragon wings and a tail. This image and the small horned skull in front of the chimera indicate that Sarah Bernhardt may have been interested in the occult.
It is quite possible that the sculpture was inspired by the performance of the actress in the play The Sphinx (1874). The work can symbolize the artist's ability to transform on stage. No wonder we see two theatrical masks on the shoulders: on the left shoulder - the mask of tragedy, on the right - comedy. The finished sculpture Sarah Bernard sometimes took on foreign tours, where she presented it to the public.
