Albert Louis Joseph Guérin Breton Pont-aven Art Nouveau Lantern Symbolist Bronze Sculpture

A beautiful bronze sculpture signed "A. Guérin" (for Albert Louis Joseph Guérin), depicting a young Breton woman walking, holding a lantern in her right hand and a missal pressed against her body with her left arm bent.

The young woman walks serenely , her left foot stepping forward, her body wrapped in a loose-fitting walking gown and a coat with wide folds. Her head is slightly tilted, her gaze lowered, her expression at once gentle, solemn, and determined. Her face reveals an inner strength: her features are youthful, calm, and mystical. The young woman seems to move forward with a silent resolve, as if guided by the light she carries.

The lantern is a central element of the sculpture. It indicates that the piece was conceived as a lamp or a light sculpture. She holds a missal against her chest; this, combined with the lantern, lends the work a deeply symbolist dimension: the young Breton woman walks through the night, likely toward a Mass, a pilgrimage, a chapel, or a devotional path. Here, the light becomes a sign of faith, contemplation, and passage. The headdress is tall, structured, and intricately detailed, with a cylindrical section and a wide pleated or radiating element at the back. It evokes a headdress from Lower Brittany, Cornouaille (the Aven-Fouesnant region), or Pont-Aven.

The costume consists of a long dress, a loose-fitting coat, and clogs. At the base, a sprig of mistletoe evokes a path through a forest and reinforces the symbolic dimension. It refers to the plant world of Breton paths, as well as to sacred nature and Celtic folklore.

This work is part of the regionalist and symbolist movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. At that time, Brittany occupied a central place in the imagination of French artists: costumes, headdresses, pardons, processions, popular faith, nocturnal paths, and interior landscapes inspired painters and sculptors alike. Electricity now illuminates homes, and sculptors are adding a utilitarian dimension to their creations. This model is a fine example of that.

Albert Louis Joseph Guérin, born in Caen in 1874 and died in Tanville in 1960, is documented as a French sculptor; the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Caen holds, among other works, a bust signed “Alb. Guerin.” The foundry Cottin Bronze Paris associates the cast bronze with high-quality Parisian craftsmanship; the Cottin firm is documented in Paris—notably on Rue Amelot—as specializing in artistic bronze and furnishings.

The sculpture engages with a broader regionalist artistic movement, closely aligned with Breton and Norman works from the period 1880–1920. In connection with this taste for folk figures, traditional costumes, and religious subjects, one might mention sculptors such as Jean Boucher, Georges Bareau, Armel Beaufils, René Quillivic, Francis Renaud, Maurice Denis, and Jean Fréour in Brittany, or Arthur Le Duc, Léon Goubert, and Charles Léandre in Normandy.

Caster: Cottin Bronze Paris

French School

Circa 1900–1910
Symbolist and Regionalist period

Bronze with a golden-brown patina
Antique sculpture-lamp
Lantern with original frosted glass
Not electrified.

Height: 62 cm
Width: 21 cm
Depth: 22 cm, weight 15/20 kg.

Good overall condition. Beautiful antique golden-brown patina, with darker shades in the recesses and natural wear on the reliefs. Localized green oxidation, particularly around the lantern and certain joint areas. Minor signs of use, scuffs, and visible surface marks. The frosted glass panes of the lantern are original. The sculpture is not currently electrified; the original plug is missing.