Saint Anne, Grandmother Of The Bretons, Small Model - Anie Mouroux - Henriot Factory - Brittany

Polychrome earthenware, circa 1930.
Restoration to the Virgin's neck is almost invisible.
This rare Saint Anne is considered one of Anie Mouroux's emblematic pieces for the Henriot potteries of Quimper. The artist depicts Saint Anne, patron saint of Brittany, sheltering the Virgin Mary under her protective mantle. At her feet, five couples in regional costumes evoke the five historical bishoprics of Brittany: Quimper, Saint-Brieuc, Vannes, Nantes, and Rennes.
This work will be on display at the Quimper Antiques Fair from November 7 to 9, 2025.

Anie Mouroux (1887–1978):
A student at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris, she was the first female student to compete in the Grand Prix de Rome competition for medal engraving. Awarded the second Grand Prix de Rome for engraving in 1919, she remained for a long time the only woman to have received this prestigious title. She exhibited at the Salon of the Société des Artistes Français from 1908. Until 1923, the artist exhibited only medals, a medium that brought her considerable renown. Her collaboration with the Henriot factory began around 1930, through Mr. Le Goaziou, a bookseller in Quimper and a friend of Anie Mouroux. She was looking to produce her famous "Saint Anne, Grandmother of the Bretons," a large statue depicting Saint Anne and the Virgin Mary as a child, with five kneeling couples at their feet, symbolizing the five Breton bishoprics of the time. It was therefore quite natural that she was directed to the Quimper factory. Subsequently, Anie Mouroux created several other designs for Henriot. In 1937, she was awarded a gold medal for her collaboration with the Henriot factory at the Exposition des Arts et Techniques. She also works for the Sèvres porcelain factory. Alongside her artistic career, she is also the curator of the Casablanca municipal museum and a professor at the city's School of Fine Arts. She has also served as a special advisor in Washington, Madrid, and Belgrade.