Art Deco Statuette "young Woman With A Bird" In Silver-plated Bronze And Onyx

1. Detailed description: This small sculpture represents a kneeling woman, holding a stylized bird in her hands, which she observes with tenderness. Made of silver-plated metal or nickel-plated babbitt, it rests on a base of pale green onyx and veined black marble. The woman is naked, except for a light drape falling on her thigh. Her geometric, plated hairstyle and her earrings evoke a refined and stylized aesthetic. The elegant posture, the fluidity of the forms and the polish of the material reinforce the poetic momentum of the scene. The expression of softness and lightness is in harmony with the presence of the bird, a symbol of peace or freedom. 2. Artistic movement and justification: This work is fully in line with the Art Deco style, the dominant trend of the 1920s–1930s. It features the typical canons of the movement: geometrization of forms, stylization of human figures, noble materials and refined contrasts (here between the shiny metal and the stone base). The free, graceful, sometimes androgynous female representation is at the heart of Art Deco, which celebrates modernity, beauty, and a contained but present sensuality. The stylized bird accentuates this decorative approach, focused on ornament as much as symbolism. 3. Biography of the artist There is no visible signature on this sculpture, which makes attribution difficult. However, this type of work is close to the work of Fayral, pseudonym of Pierre Le Faguays, or Demétre Chiparus, two major figures of Art Deco. These artists often collaborated with publishers like Max Le Verrier to mass-produce sculptures, in spelter or bronze, intended for interior decoration. Their highly sought-after works reflect the elegance and avant-garde of the Roaring Twenties, when the modern woman became a muse and central motif.