Mathurin Moreau (1822-1912) The Return Of The Swallows

Bronze with brown patina, signed “Math. Moreau. ainé” on the base.
Cast during the artist’s lifetime with the stamp of the founder “Susse frères”.
Circa 1890

Dimensions:
Height with base 62 cm
Width 29 cm
Depth 29 cm

Description
Allegory of love in bronze with brown patina on a rotating base in griotte marble, representing a nymph seated on a rock surrounded by swallows.
Our attractive Art Nouveau bronze study from the end of the 19th century is signed “Math.Moreau.ainé” on the base and bears the stamp of the famous 19th century founder Susse frères.

Biography Mathurin Moreau (1822-1912)
Mathurin Moreau was a French sculptor who worked in the traditional academic style of the 19th century. Born in Dijon, France, on November 18, 1822, he was the son of the famous sculptor Jean Baptiste Moreau. In 1841, he entered the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris and the following year won the second Grand Prix de Rome with his sculpture Diodème enlevant le palladium. Several of his works are still on public display in Paris, including Cologne on the façade of the Gare du Nord, Oceania in the courtyard of the Musée d'Orsay, and Zénobe Gramme in the Père Lachaise cemetery. In 1897, he received a medal of honor from the Paris Salon and was elected mayor of the 19th arrondissement of Paris, a position he held until his death on February 14, 1912.

Biography of the Susse Frères foundry
The Susse Frères company, originally established in 1758 in Paris, was transformed in the 19th century into one of the most important French art foundry-publishers. The Susse brothers developed bronze casting from the 1830s to the 1840s, acquired a foundry, and signed publishing contracts with major sculptors; the company is particularly renowned for the finesse of its casts and the careful application of patinas. Susse notably produced and reproduced works or models by sculptors such as Pierre-Jules Mêne, Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux, and Jules Dalou, and remains a reference for 19th-century bronzes.