Paul Louchet, Art Nouveau Period, Late 19th Century

Superb sculpture in biscuit, porcelain and gilded bronze representing the bust of a woman, bears the stamp of the artist Paul Louchet, Art Nouveau period, late 19th century. Our object is reminiscent of the so-called chryselephantine sculptures which experienced during the second half of the 19th century, a real revival of interest and reinvented themselves - bronze replacing the gold of Antiquity but always combined with the whiteness of ivory to signify the complexions. These works allow to explore through the feminine costumes in particular this pronounced taste for historicism with the troubadour fashions inspired by the Middle Ages. Although here Paul Louchet uses rather the biscuit for the woman's face, we find this hieraticism conferring a certain nobility with a haughty bearing maintained by the clothing. The specific choice of combining the glazed celadon-colored porcelain with the raw aspect of the biscuit and the golds of the bronze, brings to the whole a very particular chromatic and material richness. This association is characteristic of the productions of Louchet, a renowned French artist (1854-1936) as versatile - sometimes painter, engraver and sculptor - as talented: Major figure of the Art Nouveau aesthetic and gold medalist at the Universal Exhibition of 1900. The base on which our figure rests, very finely worked with many refined and decorative details, recalls the obvious qualities of the chaser and the preciousness of such a piece. Dimensions: - Total height: 10.5 cm - Height of the figure: 7.5 cm - Width of the base: 12.5 cm - Depth: 6.5 cm