The Spinner of Bou Saâda—an Algerian town and oasis—reflects late-19th-century French art's interest in North Africa and depicts a woman in national dress engaged in a traditional occupation. The combination of golden and dark patina emphasizes the modelling of the bronze, the details of the clothing, and the surface texture. Barrias created the model in 1890, and its plaster original is held by the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Dijon. A related bronze figure is incorporated into the tomb of the painter Gustave Guillaumet at Montmartre Cemetery.

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