Mathurin Moreau (1822–1912), *the Return Of The Swallows*

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

Dimensions:
Height including the base: 62 cm
Width: 29 cm
Depth: 29 cm


Description
Allegory of love in bronze with a brown patina on a rotating base of griotte marble, depicting a nymph seated on a rock surrounded by swallows.
This lovely Art Nouveau bronze piece from the late 19th century is signed “Math.Moreau.ainé” on the pedestal and bears the stamp of the famous 19th-century foundry, the Susse brothers.

Biography of 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 enrolled at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris and, the following year, won the second Grand Prix de Rome for his sculpture *Diodemus Carrying Off the 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* at the Père Lachaise Cemetery. In 1897, he received a medal of honor from the Paris Salon and was elected mayor of Paris’s 19th arrondissement, a position he held until his death on February 14, 1912.


Biography of the Susse Frères Foundry

Susse Frères, originally founded in 1758 in Paris, evolved in the 19th century into one of France’s leading art foundries and publishers. The Susse brothers began developing bronze casting in the 1830s and 1840s, acquired a foundry, and signed production contracts with leading sculptors; the company is particularly renowned for the finesse of its castings and the meticulous application of patinas. Susse notably produced and reproduced works and models by sculptors such as Pierre-Jules Mêne, Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux, and Jules Dalou, and remains a leading authority on 19th-century bronzes