Large French Art Nouveau Polychrome Plaster Statue Of A Floral Maiden, C.1900

This magnificent Art Nouveau sculpture is a large-scale painted plaster figure of a partially draped female nude adorned with flowers and flowing drapery. Sculpted with remarkable grace and movement, she captures the essence of nature-inspired sensuality typical of the Art Nouveau period. Her long hair swirls around her, merging with a wreath of blooming flowers, while her dress hugs her figure in flowing, organic folds, evoking the aesthetic ideals of renewal, beauty, and femininity.

The surface retains its original polychrome patina, with subtle touches of gold and soft pigments enhancing the sitter's ethereal presence. The plinth, carved within the piece's frame, is richly textured, evoking intertwined vines and flowers, immersing the figure in a dreamlike natural world.

This piece is stylistically and thematically inspired by the works of Alphonse Mucha and Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse, but is most closely related to the sculptural creations of Louis-Ernest Barrias or Affortunato Gory, famous for their allegorical female figures and idealized beauty. It probably dates from the years 1895-1910 and was probably created by a Parisian workshop specializing in decorative plaster statuary during the Belle Époque.

A rare and evocative example of French decorative sculpture, ideal for Art Nouveau collectors and lovers of poetic interiors.