Carved And Polychrome Wooden Bas-relief—female Allegory—circa 1900

Period: ca. 1900
Material: carved, stuccoed, and polychromed wood
Style: Art Nouveau / Symbolism
Origin: likely French

Dimensions: 29 cm x 60 cm

An elegant bas-relief carved from and painted on wood, dating from around 1900, depicting a nude young woman reclining in a languid and sensual pose, set against a backdrop with Symbolist accents.

The female figure, wearing a wreath of foliage, is reclining on a drape and resting her head on a book, while to the left stands an antique oil lamp from which rises a serpent in the form of a stylized scroll. The composition as a whole seems to evoke an allegory of inspiration, the arts, or poetry, in the spirit of Symbolist compositions from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The treatment of the forms, the juxtaposition of muted colors—blue-green, brown, beige, and gold—as well as the horizontal composition reflect the period’s taste for sculpted decorations inspired by antiquity and reimagined through the Art Nouveau aesthetic.

The relief is presented in its gilded wooden frame, featuring its original polychrome paint and a beautiful patina. Some wear and minor losses in the polychrome paint are visible, consistent with its age.

Keywords:
Bas-relief, carved wood, polychrome wood, Art Nouveau, Symbolism, circa 1900, Belle Époque, female allegory, nude woman, poetry, inspiration, oil lamp, book, carved decoration, decorative sculpture, decorative panel, France, 19th century, 20th century, decorative art.