Daum Nancy
French glassmaking business established in 1875 and based in Nancy. Auguste and Jean -Antonin Daum took over the running of the family glassmaking firm in 1887. Inspired by the success of Emile Galle at the 1889 Paris Universal Exposition, they began producing coloured, etched and moulded glass in the Art Nouveau style. Many designs for the firm were provided by the botanical illustrator Henri Berge. Daum Freres experimented with modern large -scale production techniques, and during the 1890s they collaborated with Louis Majorelle to create a series of lamps and vases. The firm won a Grand Prix at the 1900 Paris Universal Exposition, and in 1901 the brothers helped found what became the Ecole de Nancy.
Duran, Ivan
Ivan Duran was born in Vina del mar, Chile on October 26, 1950. As a child his drawings and paintings were presented publicly and he attended the Academy of Fine Arts in Valparaiso fro 1966 to 1969. While a student he was presented with many awards for excellence.
At 24, he traveled throughout Latin America with a series of exhibits of his works that focused on the life of men in Chile. In 1983 after continuing his studies, and expanding his education with work in developmental psychology, he was accepted to and joined the Art Students League of New York. Ivan has always combined his interest in psychology with his passion for art. In his canvases, shape, color and compositions keep the figures in vivid movement, while his perspective on society is clearly presented. Ivan characterizes man in the following way: “These creatures do hardly have a conscience, they walk through life without attaining the state of self criticism, of self knowledge and self confidence. Moreover, a man creates his own way of suffering in the shape of borders, of idiotic wars, of exploitations of other human beings, etc… We humans are only the result of an inner multiplicity, which can be seen in the diversity of ‘egos’ fighting each other to gain control over our consciousness. Each of my paintings is the portrait of a unique human being with his different egos, which project themselves in a sleeping state and thus compensate the huge restlessness that moves us on this earth. It is this restlessness that makes us believe in individuality and which is ultimately wrong and illusionary if we look at it from a cosmological perspective. This aesthetic search, morbid and psychological, that I undertake, is nothing but just another sign of an ego exploiting my lack of knowledge to amuse itself. What makes life interesting and fabulous is the process of awakening from this state of naïve idiocy…. I want to save the inner power of man covered by a crust of a thousand personalities with my paintings. With my work, I want to contribute to the awakening of the spectator’s conscience.”
Ivan’s message focuses on his disdain for differences in class and gender. While each figure depicted is actually what he considers to be a self-portrait, Duran is illustrating that we each have many qualities and characteristics that seem to be incongruous. He criticizes man for his sleepy innocence, for his slave emotionality and above all for the suppression of women. Duran shows women as a partner of equal rights. Often in spite of her being naked, she does not appear as an object of desire and is far from submission; she is a personality of her own and a master of herself! Ivan Duran’s works are in the permanent collection of several museums and well-noted corporate collections including the RalÌ Museums in Chile, Spain, Uruguay and Israel.
Édouard Leon Cortes (1882-1969)
Édouard was the son of Antonio Cortès – the Spanish Court painter – who was himself the son of the artisan André Cortès. Antonio had three children - Édouard, Henri and Jeanne - and while all had artistic talent, it was Édouard who had the passion.
Antonio began teaching Édouard at an early age and enrolled him in a private elementary school where he continued his schooling until the age of 13. From this point on he devoted his life to art – working and studying with both his father and older brother. In 1899, at the age of 16, he exhibited his first work at the Société des Artistes Français entitled La Labour. The work was well received by the critics and the public - helping establish Édouard’s favorable reputation in Paris.
It was at the turn of the century (c.1900) that he began to paint the scenes that he would become most famous for – Paris’ streets and monuments. One of the more prolific artists of his time, Cortès found his niche and stayed with it. His views of Paris are among the most telling and beautiful images of this genre; capturing the city during all it’s seasons for more than 60 years.
Édouard married Fernande Joyeuse in 1914 and had a child – Jacqueline Simone in 1916. Fernande died in 1918 and shortly thereafter Édouard decided to marry his sister-in-law Lucienne Joyeuse. They settled in Paris and Edouard continued to paint views of Paris. By the mid 1920’s, Edouard and his family moved back to Lagny (in Normandy) and he began painting scenes of country life - including landscapes, interior scenes and still lives. He was an active member of the Union des Beaux-Arts de Lagny and was the Unions first president. Their inaugural exhibition was held in 1927 and Cortès continued to exhibit there until the late 1930’s.
During this period he received many awards, gained great notoriety and was a frequent exhibitor at the exhibition halls in Paris, including the Salon d’Automne, Salon d’Hiver, Salon de la Société Nationale de l’Horticulture and Salon des Indépendants.
Emile Galle
Emile Galle was born in France in 1846 and his training included art, botany, and chemistry, three subjects which he combined in his brilliant designs for glass and other mediums (pottery, furniture, jewelry). His father, Charles Galle, owned a glass and ceramics factory in Nancy. After much travelling and training, fighting in the war between France and Prussia, working for the glass company "Burgun, Schverer et Cie" in Meisenthal, Galle settled back in Nancy and set up his own glass studio in 1873 where he initially made classical forms of glass with classical, intricate, enamelled designs.
Moving on from these designs to botanical themes, again in enamelled glass, it was not until the 1878 International Exhibition in Paris, when Galle saw the work of his contemporaries such as John Northwood and Joseph Locke from England (cameo glass) and Eugene Rousseau (pate de verre) that he developed new and adventurous designs for his glass. Eleven years later at the Paris International Exhibition (1889) Galle exhibited his own new types of glass, including carved cameo work and many new colours. His achievements earned him recognition in the French Legion of Honour.
Even in those early years, Galle made two distinct qualities of glass. On the one hand his "poems in glass", masterpieces that took hours and hours of patient work to make. And on the other hand, his high quality art glass designed to be less expensive to make but still an object of beauty, good enough to carry his signature. This was later to develop into what is today called "industrial Galle".
In 1894 Galle built a massive new glassworks in Nancy, and ended his dependence on the Burgun, Schverer glassworks for producing some of his glass. He employed a team of craftsmen-designers, who worked to the edict that all Galle designs should be true to nature. Galle himself modified and approved these designs before they were made by teams of craftsmen in his Cristallerie D'Emile Galle.
Throughout the 1890's Galle won awards at international exhibitions and recognition through commissions and popular demand for his work. His techniques and style were copied by many other glassmakers who advertised their glass as "Galle style". He was a major influence on the Art Nouveau movement.
Galle died in 1904, whilst directing the work on new designs from his bed. After his death Mme Galle, his widow, continued to run the glassworks and to make Galle glass until the outbreak of war in 1914, marking all the glass sold by the works after his death with a star after the name Galle.
Emile Galle's son in law, Paul Perdrizet, re-opened the Galle glassworks after the war. With new workers and new designs, they focussed on two and three layer cameo glass with landscape and floral designs, made by acid-etching. These were popular for some years, but the company did not keep pace with the changes in style in the late twenties, and closed down in 1936.
Emile Vernon (fl. 1890 – 1920)
Emile Vernon was a French artist born in the mid 19th Century. Although little is recorded of his life it is known that he lived and worked in London as well as in Paris. Vernon specialised in painting portraits and genre scenes. Especially popular are his portraits of young ladies and children which are much sought after in the U.S.A, Canada and Japan. He exhibited a painting entitled ‘Roses’ at the Royal Academy in 1904.
Escalier de Cristal
The Maison A L'Escalier de Cristal was established in 1802 by Mme. D'esarnaud in the Palais-Royal, and exhibited to great acclaim at the 1819 Exposition des produits de l'industrie. The shop produced furniture, clocks vases and other objets d'art to ruling families in Europe, and was appointed Fournisseur brevete' du Roi in 1819, as well as to the Duc de Berry and the Garde-meuble de la Couronne. L'Escalier de Cristal continued its success by collaborating with designers such as Galle and Christofle, until its demise in 1923.
F. Barbedienne
The F. Barbedienne foundry was started in Paris in 1838 by Ferdinand Barbedienne and Achille Collas, who was the inventor of a machine that would mechanically reduce statues. They at first produced bronze reductions of antique sculptures of Greek and Roman origin. Their first contract to produce bronzes modeled by a living artist was made in 1843 when they arranged to produce the works of Francois Rude. They barely survived the revolution and financial collapse of 1848 which caused many artists and foundries to declare bankruptcy. Barbedienne actively pursued contracts with the many sculptors of Paris contracting with David D'Angers, Jean-Baptiste Clesinger, and even producing some casts for Antoine Louis Barye as well as others.
Achille Collas died in 1859 leaving Ferdinand Barbedienne as the sole owner of the foundry which by that time had grown to employ over 300 workers at their workshop located at 63 Rue de Lancry in Paris. Ferdinand Barbedienne was made the President of the Reunion of Bronze Makers in 1865 a post he held until 1885. The outbreak of the Franco-Prussian war in 1870 and the shortage of raw metals caused him to have to stop making sculptures but he did receive a contract from the French government for the production of cannons which kept his foundry open. After the war he resumed his casting of sculptures and put even more effort into signing contracts with various sculptors.
François Linke (1855-1946)
François Linke was born in Pankraz, Bohemia though was celebrated by the French as one of the greatest ébénistes of meubles de style at the turn of the century. He began his apprenticeship with a Bohemian master at the age of thirteen. Four years later, he toured Austria, settling and working in Vienna for two years. By 1875 he had arrived in Paris, where he seems to have been associated with Emmanuel Zwiener. By 1881, Linke established his own small workshop at 170 rue du Faubourg St. Antoine. Taking 18th century styles as his starting point and adapting earlier styles to contemporary taste, Linke produced fine quality furniture, steadily expanding his business during the next 20 years. He firmly established his reputation after receiving a gold medal at the Paris Universal Exhibition of 1900 for his extraordinary Grand Bureau. He continued to use international fairs as a means of exploring new markets, exhibiting at the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis, the Liege in Belgium and the 1908 Franco-British exhibition in London. Linke's highly original designs sprang from the Régence and Rococo styles but were imbued with something quite new - Rococo curves were laden with gilt-bronze sculptural mounts in the tradition of A.-C. Boulle (1642-1732) or Charles Cressent (1685-1758). Stylistically, the new designs still adhered to the Rococo; the novelty, however, was Linke's fusion of the Rococo with the liveliness and the fluidity of the 'art nouveau'. The Revue called Linke's creations entierement nouveau, and continued to say that 'Linke's stand is the biggest show in the history of art furniture in the year 1900...' The mounts, or rather sculpture, were characteristic of the finest pieces from the Linke workshops. The most original designs were almost certainly created in collaboration with the enigmatic sculptor Léon Messagé, who excelled in creating lively, high relief, allegorical figures recalling the styles of Boucher and Falconet. Linke's greatest successes were achieved during the years after 1900 and up to the beginning of World War I. He opened a showroom in the fashionable Place Vendôme and business flourished until World War II, although the popularity of the ancien régime styles already started to decline. Linke died at the venerable age of 91.
A newly released book about the life and work of François Linke has just been published by Christopher Payne called François Linke 1855-1946 The Belle Epoque of French Furniture. This 527 page hardcover book is a 'Must' for every furniture collector.
Frederic-Eugene Piat
On his death in 1903 after a career spanning some fifty years, the prominent French sculpteur-ornemaniste, Frédéric-Eugène Piat, left a considerable body of work, principally designs and models for a vast array of clocks, appliques, lampes, candelabras and torchères. Such designs were executed by many of the most reputable firms of Parisian bronziers, among them Christofle, Colin, Lemerle-Charpentier, Motteau and Maison Millet. As an artiste collaborateur with these firms, many of Piat's creations, including in all probability this extravagant and monumental pedestal clock, were shown on their respective stands at the major international exhibitions of the late 19th and early 20th centuries (see Y. Devaux, L'Univers des Bronzes, Paris, 1978, p. 267, for another marble and bronze horloge, with similar full-length scantily-clad figure, executed by Colin & Cie and shown at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, Chicago). In 1894, Piat gave considerable funds towards the inauguration of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in his native Troyes. Included in his gift, and to be displayed in a specially decorated salon on the museum's ground floor, were at least twenty of his creations. Most important among these was an example of the present clock, described as a "grande horloge Louis XVI, genre de La Fosse, bronze doré à deux tons et bronze vert".
At the Paris Exhibition Universelle of 1878, the bronziers Lemerle-Charpentier exhibited garnitures, vases, torcheres, and a large Louis XVI Style Clock, very similar to the present lot.
Another example of Piat’s grande horologe, also cast by Lemerle-Charpentier in ormolu and patinated bronze, was sold Sotheby’s New York, 3 November 1999, lot 514 ($222,500)
Gervais-Maximilien-Eugene Durand
Gervais-Maximilien-Eugene Durand, born in Paris 1874, celebrated Ébénistes under the trade name “Durand et Fils”. He exhibited in the Exposition Universelle of 1889 where he received a Silver Medal. His designs were in competition to those of Beurdeley and Dasson. He produced almost exclusively many of the copies of furnishings of the XVIII Century.
Giovanni Montelatici (d. 1930)
The Florentine artist Giovanni Montelatici (d. 1930) is often credited with revitalising the skill of 'painting'in pietre dure, an art which had fallen into a steady decline since the mid-19th century. In 1898, Montelatici went into business with Galileo Chini (d. 1857), an artist from Mugello, near Florence, and the two men exhibited jointly at the 1900 Paris Exposition Universelle, winning a gold medal for their large table inlaid with a scene of the Annunciation. Following the success in Paris, Montelatici established a large workshop on the Via Arnolfo, known as La Musiva, appointing Chini as its artistic director. The business flourished during the early decades of the 19th Century, when Montelatici was joined by his two sons, Mario and Alfonso, and when foreign buyers were plenty. Inspired by the paintings and subject matter of the Tuscan Macchiaiolo School and Southern Italian artists, production encompassed a wide variety of themes, with particular emphasis on scenes of domesticity and rural life.
Harry Bertoia
His parents were Giuseppe and Maria (Mussio) Bertoia. He had one brother, Oreste and one sister, Ave. After attending high school in Arzene, Carsara, till age 15, he accompanied his father to Detroit to visit his brother Oreste Instead of returning to Italy the youmg bertoia stayed behind to attend Cass Technical High School a public school with a special program for talented students in arts and sciences. A scholarship for one year to the Art School of the Detroit Society of Arts and Crafts let him study painting and drawing. By the fall of 1937, another scholarship entitled him to be a student, also of painting and drawing at the Cranbrook Academy of Art. Cranbrook was, at the time, welcoming many great artists: Carl Milles,resident-sculptor, Maija Grotell,resident-ceramist, Walter Gropius,visiting Bauhaus-architect, and many more, In 1939, Eliel Saarinen,director of the art community, asked Bertoia to stay on at the academy to re-open the department of metalworking. While doing so, Harry continued an after-hour activity he began as a student, experimenting and producing one-of-a-kind prints.
Fellows students at Cranbrook were Florence Shust (Knoll)Charles Eames and Eero Saarinen. In 1940, Harry met Brigitta Valentiner, the daughter of Wilhelm R Valentiner, director of the Detroit Institute of Arts and the foremost expert on Rembrandt in the U.S. He and Brigitta were married on May 10, 1943 While at Cranbrook Harry Bertoia had been working on monoprints. Not knowing how his graphic work would be received, he sent 100 prints to The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum of Non - Objective Paintings for evaluation. To his amazement, Hilla Rebay, the director, kept all 100 prints. She bought some for herself and some for the museum. In 1943, 19 of those prints were exhibited by the Solomon Guggenheim Foundation. Harry had the most works by a single artist in that show which included works by Moholy-Nagy, Werner Drewes and Charles Smith. The same year he also exhibited prints and jewelry at Cranbrook. In 1945, Harry had a show of his monotypes in the San Francisco Museum of Art.
Jewelry was a craft that Harry had learned during his years at Cass Techical High School. As the war lingered on, metal was very hard to come by. Harry could not make large pieces, therefore resorted to making smaller silver and copper pieces. As far as we know, the jewelry is not signed. Many of them were exhibited through the Nierendorf Gallery in New York. He also shared a lot of the pieces with his friends at Cranbrook and made wedding rings for Charles and Ray Eames and Edmund Bacon.
Harry designed two tea sets. This one was designed for Eliel Saarinen and is in the Cranbrook permanent collection.
Supported by a stipend from Karl Nierendorf, Nierendorf Gallery, New York, Harry continued to make and exhibit monotypes and jewelry until 1947.He also exhibited works at the Fairweather Harden Gallery in Chicago. He then only made jewelry for special occasions but continued to make monotypes throughout his life. They were his inspiration and sketches for sculptures.
After Cranbrook, Harry joined Charles Eames in California to do ongoing experimental work on molded plywood. This work stemmed from a continuation of the Eames/Saarinen chair design that won the MOMA furniture competition, which could not be succesfully produced. In addition, he was happy to contribute to the war effort making airplanes parts manufactured by Evans products Co, where Eames was director of Resarch & Development.Harry's solutions were being absorbed with no credit to him. He chose to move on. He spent two years in San Diego, at Point Loma Naval Electrical Lab. He worked on a project involving human engineering and stroboscopic photography, designed to evaluate equipment. this is where he began making sculptures after hours.
In 1950, at the request of Hans and Florence Knoll, Harry moved to Pennsylvania with his family. They offered him free reign to design whatever he wished - furniture or sculpture - with full credit, which was their policy with all designers. Harry enjoyed the freedom to do whatever he wished and created entirely new forms. The Bertoia Diamond chair series was introduced in 1952 by KnollHarry designs the "421" chair, better known as the Diamond chair. Harry also designs all the jigs for the production of the item.The chair is introduced in 1952.
While working on the chair, Harry also produced a series of sculptures which are exhibited in 1951 at Knoll Associates, NYC. The sculptures are very well received,Herbert Matter, graphic designer and photographer for Knoll, included a picture of Harry and his sculptures on the brochure of the Diamond chair. In 1953-1954, at the request of Joseph Albers, he was invited to be the visiting critic in sculpture at Yale.
Commissioned by Eero Saarinen, the MIT Chapel reredos {rer'dos: a screen or decorated part of the wall wall behind an altar in a church] was created in 1955 and is one of the most striking sculptures of Harry Bertoia. It ushers the contemporary era of spacial sculpture, liberated from its base and becomes an integral part of the altar.
The first architectural sculpture commission that Harry did was,in 1953, for the General Motors Technical Center. It is a sculpture used to divide 2 spaces, thus one could say that sculpture becomes part of the whole space planning, not as an ornamental piece but as a functional and visually melodic section of the structure.
In 1957, Harry received a grant from Chicago's Graham Foundation which allowed him to return to Italy for the first time since 1930. He visited his family and the great museums. The first European exhibit of his work was at the US Pavilion of the 1958 Brussels World's Fair.
In 1960 Harry Bertoia started the exploration of tonal sculptures. The first ones were made like a stool upside down and each rod was soldered on a cross mesh screen, a very labor intensive technique. The "tonal" is the sculpture that is most often associated with Harry Bertoia.Their sizes vary from a few inches all the way to 19 feet. Many metals were used for the rods, the most common being beryllium copper. Some rods are capped with cylinders or drops of metal which, by their weight, accentuate the swaying of the tonal rods. Harry and Oreste (his brother)loved music and spend considerable time in tuning and finding new sounds.
From 1953 to 1978 Harry Bertoia created large commissions. Harry Bertoia made over 50 public sculptures which are on public display in towns throughout the United States. Harry Bertoia was hired by the greatest architects of the time.They include Eero Saarinen, Henry Dreyfuss, Roche & Dinkeloo, Minoru Yamasaki, Edward Durell Stone & I M Pei. He received the AIA Craftsmanship Award in 1956 and the Critic's Award in 1968.
Harry Bertoia worked on 17 general groups of sculptures. They are better described in the chapter on "Sculptures".
Three documentaries were done on Harry Bertoia, one of which was made by Clifford West, a collegue from Cranbrook.This photo represent the barn which Harry set up in 1968-1969 to hold his sculptures and be a sound recording studio.
He gave concerts to visitors and friends.After his death,his wife Brigitta and his son, Val, continue the musical tradition. There are 11 albums of recorded sounds of sculpture that Harry made during his lifetime. Harry was an explorer and, like the brothers Baschet, invented new musical instruments that were used in many recordings.
Staempfli Gallery published color catalogues of the work of Harry Bertoia. Harry had his first show with them in 1961.A retrospective show of his work was held in 1981.George Staempfli died in 1999.
This is the Boyertown Bank Fountain, not far from Harry's studio which, actually used to belong to Knoll. The studio in Bally, PA, is still used today by Val Bertoia who is also a sculptor. Harry Bertoia died on november 6th, 1978. He is buried in Barto, Pa, on his farm. Although he is gone, his legacy inspire and thrill many aspiring artists and the "sounds" of his creations live on.
Henri Dasson (1825-96)
One of the most celebrated Parisien ébénistes, established his business at 106, Rue Vielle-du-Temple. Dasson’s work is renowned for the exceptionally fine quality of the ormolu work, he participated at the Expositions Universelles in 1878 and 1889, where he received a Grand Prix Artistique for his display. His work was in demand both on the Continent and in England where he established an elite clientele including the Royal Family.
Jean-Pierre Dubord
J. P. Dubord was born in Rouen in 1949, after spending years in the French countryside, he returned to his native city to portray the surroundings of his youth. While Rouen is a favorite subject for his paintings, he often depicts Paris, the Norman countryside, the beaches of Deauville and Houlgate, the cliffs of Caux and Etreat and the scenes along the Seine. He is known for his ability to capture the subtleties of light and color unique to each season.
In 1970, he has his first exhibition of approximately thirty paintings in Rouen, a show that was highly praised by art critics. In addition to an annual show in Rouen, he has exhibited in Birdhouse, La Hare, La Rochelle, Osaka, and Quebec and in major Salons of Paris.
Dubord has his own original approach to paintings. His palette is rich in it’s tones, and is fresh and uplifting. His work is so highly regarded that he has been the recipient of numerous prestigious awards. Dubord’s canvases reveal his own intense joy of life and his love of rhythms of nature are distinguished by a nuance use of color. The artist’s mastery of his secrets of imprisoning light on canvas and the very delicate poetic strain in his painting may be traced to the impressionist manner, but it bears a very personal touch as well. One critic remarked Dubord is guided solely buy his heart and emotions.
Prizes and Awards
1st Prize of Ville de Canteleu, 1982
1st Prize of Ville d’Yport, 194
Gold Medal of Ville de Rueil Malmaison, 1985
Honorable Mention Salon des Artistes Francais, 1985
Landscape Prize Salon du Val d’Or, 1985
Prize of Conseil General Salon de Bourges, 1985
Premier Prix de Paysage, Salon de Bourges, 1985
Inducted into the prestigious E. Benezit, 1999
Exhibitions
Biennale des Beaux Arts
Salon de Rouen
Salon de Timchebray
Salon de la Marine
Salon d’ Automne
Salon des Independents
Joseph Coomans (BELGIAN, 1816-1889) TITLED “PHIDIAS IN HIS STUDIO.”
Formally the Property of Gianni Versace.
Dated and inscribed Joseph Coomans 1879/Paris
Oil on canvas. 24 in. x 37 ½ in.
Pierre Olivier Joseph Coomans was a pupil of P. van Hanselaere at Gane, and G. Wappers and N. De Keyser at Anvers. He accompanied the French army to Algeria in 1843-1845, and to the Crimea, where he was able to experience the “Orient” first hand. He subsequently visited Greece and lived in Naples (1856-1860) where his exposure to antique painting would determine his own Pompeiian style. Coomans settled in Paris in 1860, where he exhibited regularly at the Paris Salons.
Louis Icart, French (1888 –1950)
Best known for his large color etchings of glamorous women and sleek dogs in elegant settings, Louis Icart worked with the major couturiers in Paris, France. His Art Deco style depictions of the feminine wardrobe occur in multiple genre scenes and portraits.
1999 Dictionnaire Critique et Documentaire des Peintres, Sculpteurs, Dessinateurs et Graveurs
Author : Bénézit Emmanuel - Paris, France
Director of publication : Busse Jacques - Paris, France
Publisher : Editions Gründ - Paris, France
ISBN : 2700030109
Marius-Jean-Antonin Mercié - French, 1845 - 1916
Mercié, a native of Toulouse, where he was born in 1845, studied sculpture at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris with François Jouffroy (1806-1882) and Alexandre Falguière (1831-1900). His Salon debut, with a modest portrait medallion of a young girl, took place the same year he won the Prix de Rome, 1868. The youth's envois immediately drew the honors normally accrued over time by an established artist, launching an exceptional career even for an Ecole-trained professional. When he showed his David in the Salon of 1872, Mercié was awarded the cross of the Légion d'Honneur and a first-class medal; his figure was purchased and cast in bronze for the prestigious national museum of living artists, the Musée du Luxembourg (now at the Musée d'Orsay, Paris). His next envoi, the Gloria Victis, created a sensation from the very moment it appeared in Rome, and was immediately acquired and executed in multiples, as memorials throughout France for the dead of the Franco-Prussian War.
As prolific as he was popular with the public and with patrons, Mercié was much in demand as a monumental sculptor. He executed architectural decoration, such as the Genius of the Arts (c. 1877, bronze relief; facade of the Palais du Louvre, Paris) and Fame, the colossal gilt-bronze figure for the dome of the Palais du Trocadéro, also Paris (1878). He decorated the tombs of some of the most eminent figures of his century: historian Jules Michelet (date, location?); national president and historian Adolphe Thiers (c. 1879 and c. 1891, both Père-Lachaise cemetery, Paris); and Louis-Philippe and his wife Marie-Amélie, and two of their sons (dates not known, Chapelle Royale, Dreux). Mercié produced yet more celebrated war memorials, notably his Quand Même! (inaugurated 1884, Place d'Armes, Belfort) and the bronze group commemorating the defense of Châteaudun (inaugurated 1897, promenade du Mail, Châteaudun), as well as a host of portrait statues of modern politicians (notably that of Jules Ferry, Saint-Dié, Vosges) and, for her native village of Domrémy, a memorial to Joan of Arc in front of her home. The artist also won critical and official acclaim for paintings shown in the Salons of the 1880s and 1890s.Mercié received most of the major institutional awards of his time. He won the highest medals at the universal expositions; election to the Académie des Beaux-Arts (1889); a professorship at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts; election to grand officier of the Légion d'Honneur; and in 1913 the presidency of the Société des Artistes Françaises. Along with Chapu--whose career is closely intertwined with his as peer, collaborator, and preceding faculty at the Ecole--and Dalou, Mercié was one of the most successful and prominent sculptors of the period into World War I. He died in Paris in 1916.
His work varied little stylistically over the decades, lending the elegance and animation of Florentine Renaissance sculpture to his modern figure types. Its often sensitive conception struck a powerful chord nationwide with the public, authorities, and many critics. His celebrated monumental works also translated effectively into serial reductions, their neo-Florentine grace often given a precious finish and sumptuous patinas and pedestals. Many were edited soon after the monuments appeared, were much in demand, and continue to circulate abundantly on the market today. Despite the growing interest in his work among scholars, a serious critical study of Mercié has yet to be published (as of 1998).[This is the artist's biography published, or to be published, in the NGA Systematic Catalogue]
Nicole Blanchard
Nicole Blanchard was born in Paris in 1943. She is the daughter of the renowned master, Antoine Blanchard. She would join her father on location on the streets and boulevards of Paris and gained from him the marvelous mystery of his drawings. She gained a perfection of architecture that was faultless. She further leaned to paint with a fine and accurate brush the numerous and lively characters of her beloved Paris.
The critics have acclaimed her for being an imaginative artist and a refined colorist who is in love with light as she recreated the atmosphere of yesterday’s Paris.
After completing her studies at the Beaux Arts in classical training with modern techniques of the Twentieth Century, Nicole Blanchard paints similarly to her renowned father the Paris of 1800s and 1900s but with greater fluidity and boldness. She is, however, as the critics point out, more delicate in her brush strokes, more generous in her color and more alive in the movement of her characters.
Using her father’s palate for further inspiration, she paints the Paris that never sleeps, a city alive and bustling with activity. She is not content simply paint painting historic buildings or national monuments but rather recreates a way of life as it was from morning to evening, in Fall, Winter, Spring and Summer. She portrays Paris through a looking glass as it was.
She has exhibited in the major Salons of France and her paintings have been shown in the most prestigious galleries in France. Now her paintings are reaching the United States.
She tells us she is spiritually driven to paint the Paris 1900 created by her father, Antoine, and she is now one of the most collectible artists today.
Paillard, Victor
Known as a sculpture of bronze statutes, figures, animals, and ornaments, Victor Paillard was awarded the Chevalier of the French Legion of Honour in 1867. His studio and foundry situated in Montmorency was well reputed among contemporary artistans. His work forms part of the Musee des Arts Decoratifs’ permanent collection in Paris. See, E. Benezit, Dictionnaire des Peintres, Sculpteurs, Dessinateurs et Graveurs, Vol. 10.
Paul Albert
Paul Albert Baudouin, Born 1844 in Rouen, France, died in 1931, genre artist, decorative panels & Fresco’s. He participated in the Salon des Artistes Francais. Received the gold Medal for L’Exposition of 1889 and the Legion of Honor in 1891. Museums; Paris; Musee du Petit-Palais
Paul Renard
He was born in Holland in 1941 and died in 1997. His paintings consist mostly of Paris scenes, as his preference was French Impressionism.
His work was included in a major Netherlands art Exhibition in 1998. Najaarscollectie.
Pierre Pivet
Pivet was born in 1948 in Normandy France and continues to carry both Canadian & French citizenship. Pivet’s studies included the prestigious Academie de Port-Royal in Paris. His work is immediate & intense, his colours vibrant, his strokes strong. Each painting depicts intimacy, be it still life or portraiture, and has the distinct influence of Cezanne, Gaugin and Matisse; who became great influences in his work. Pivet’s ‘Pictures within Pictures’ is a trademark, as well as his use of props, which are dramatic, and at times theatrical. In 1982 he was awarded the cherished position of being elected for the Prix de Monte Carlo. In Chetlamn England, 1987, he was the guest of honor at the Falcon Polo Club Queens Cup and painted a series of ‘Polo’ works for his solo exhibition. In 1997, the French Embassy in Panama featured his work in an exhibition in collaboration with French Ambassador Alain Palu de Beaupuy.
René Jules Lalique
Born René Jules Lalique (April 6,1860 - May 5, 1945) in Ay, Marne, France.
He was a glass designer, renowned for his stunning creations of perfume bottles, vases, jewelry, chandeliers, clocks, and, in the latter part of his life, automobile hood ornaments. The firm he founded is still active.
At age 16, he apprenticed with the Parisian jeweler, Louis Aucoq. Then from 1878-1880 he attended Sydenham Art College in London, England. After returning to France, he worked for Aucoq, Cartier, Boucheron and others.
In 1882 he became a freelance designer for several top jewelry houses in Paris and four years later established his own jewelry workshop. By 1890, Lalique was recognized as one of France's foremost Art Nouveau jewelry designers; creating innovative pieces for Samuel Bing's new Paris shop, La Maison de l'Art Nouveau. He would go on to be one of the most famous in his field, his name synonymous with creativity and quality.
René Lalique is buried in Le Père Lachaise Cemetery, Paris, France.
Schneider, Charles (1881-1953)
At the age of 24 Charles commenced study at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris and retained his freelance design job at Daum. Charles studied with some of the famous lecturers of that time including the artist Bonnat and the sculptors Chaplain, Le Chevrel and Frédéric de Vernon. During the six years that Charles spent at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts he exhibited at the annual Société des Artistes François. The works from the Charles Schneider glass factory used all of the glass making techniques that developed during the 1920's. The daring use of colour and design is a trademark of Charles Schneider's glass output. His glassmaking output evolved from the naturalistic forms of the Art Nouveau into the geometric patterns and hard edged forms of the Art Deco. Each year he received some form of recognition for his work in medallion engraving and glass cameo’s. He exhibited his best works at the Salon exhibits for 1927, 1928, 1929 and at the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes, where he was recognized to subsequently be awarded the French Legion of Honour in 1926.
Louis Comfort Tiffany: Artist and Businessman
As the scion of one of the country’s most successful luxury goods merchants, Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848-1933) was exposed to the finer things in life. His father, Charles Lewis Tiffany, was a founder and principal owner of Tiffany & Company, the highly successful New York City jewelry and fancy goods store. Indeed, it was this family business, which gave Louis C. Tiffany both the “know how” and financial backing needed to form his own series of commercial enterprises.
After completing his formal schooling at the Eagleswood Military Academy in New Jersey, Louis Tiffany, enticed by the fine arts, continued to enrich his education through travel abroad and study with the highest-ranking artists of the period. Profoundly influenced by the American landscapist George Inness, who taught at Eagleswood, Tiffany proved to be a competent painter and remarkable colorist in his own right. Although he was to remain a painter throughout his lifetime, while still in his twenties, Tiffany turned most of his attention and enormous creative energies to the design, manufacture, and retail of decorative arts objects, a natural progression for a son of Tiffany & Company.
It was Tiffany’s knowledge of art and culture coupled with his innate sense of taste, familiarity with commerce, and the all important ingredient, timing that led him to pursue the new field of interior decoration spawned by the Aesthetic Movement of the 1870s-1880s. His first business partnered with the luminist painter and decorator Samuel Colman, the textile designer Candace Wheeler, and the artist and furniture designer Lockwood de Forest, was known as Louis C. Tiffany & Associated Artists, and attracted a number of prominent clients. President Chester A. Arthur engaged the firm to redecorate the public rooms at the White House, giving Tiffany the high visibility needed for success.
In order to provide his sophisticated clientele with the exotic Oriental and naturalistic living environments they expected from Associated Artists, Tiffany began experimenting with glass, his own special area of interest. At first attempting to reproduce the properties found in medieval stained glass windows and ancient glass discovered in archaeological excavations, Tiffany raised the bar by striving for a combination of myriad colors and textures as well as translucence in the flat opalescent and blown iridescent glass that he and his staff created. Eventually, Tiffany’s enormous glass inventory of more than 5,000 different colors and textures enabled him “to paint with glass” and imbue his interior designs, windows, and lamps with light and color effects heretofore unknown.
Tiffany’s work in glass brought him his greatest success as an artist and a businessman. In 1883 he dissolved the partnership with Associated Artists and established a succession of New York City-based firms primarily devoted to the manufacture and sale of glass objects. His firms initially made religious and figural windows for churches (his main source of income) and landscape and floral windows for the private and business sectors. Although Tiffany was the artist behind the glass, he hired the best creative talents of the era including the revered Hudson River school painter Frederic E. Church (a relative of Lockwood de Forest), the Albany muralist Will H. Low, and the Aesthetic Movement artist Elihu Vedder to provide ideas, concepts, and designs for his window commissions.
During the early 1890s Tiffany, working with master glassmaker Arthur J. Nash and a team of chemists, designers, and artisans based at his Corona (Queens), New York, glass factory, produced the iridescent blown glass patented as Favrile. This invention provided Tiffany with a new line of merchandise for the home such as vases, stemware, place settings, and shades for candlesticks and oil lamps. Further expansion occurred in the latter part of the decade, when Tiffany, capitalizing on the new Edison electric light bulb, began producing leaded-glass lampshades, using the off-cuts of opalescent glass too small for the window making process. His foundry at Corona, headed by Alvin Tuck, started manufacturing the metal lamp bases for the shades and a variety of glass and metal accessories such as desk sets, clocks, and candleholders in 1897.
Tiffany’s lampshades, dubbed “glowing fantasies” by Seigfried Bing, the Parisian-based art dealer and inventor of the term Art Nouveau, were a commercial success and Tiffany Studios’ Price List of 1906 records over 125 designs for shades. Like his Favrile art glass, they took top prizes at all the major World’s Fairs and Expositions during the first decade of the 20th century. Tiffany tended to favor naturalistic designs for his lampshades as well as his windows, which can be associated with his lifelong interest in horticulture, but also prompted by the popular Art Nouveau movement. The beautiful and innovative floral motifs for shades were implemented by a team of prize-winning designers, many of whom were women, including Clara Driscoll, Mrs. Curtis Fueschel and Agnes Northrup.
It is important to note again that Louis Comfort Tiffany relied on the enormous financial and entrepreneurial resources of his father’s firm, Tiffany & Company. Although Tiffany & Company and Tiffany Studios were two distinct and separate firms; Louis Tiffany was affiliated with both in an executive capacity. He was, therefore, able to advertise and sell Tiffany Studios’ products at Tiffany & Company, which proved to be a mutually advantageous arrangement, especially for retailing lamps and small accessories. Although Tiffany lamps, windows, and decorative accessories continued to be made through the 1920s, the heyday of production ended at the onset of World War I when European markets closed and tastes changed. His father’s firm, Tiffany & Company, still continues in operation serving customers at the main store in New York City and a host of branches throughout the world.
Vittorio Renzo Baldi (Italian, b 1881)
Title: Jael Before Sisera
Signed: BALDI
White marble, on a mottled green fluted column, with revolving top.
Figure Height: 68 in. (173 cm.)
Baldi was a Florentine sculptor who studied under Professor Cesare Zocchi (1851- 1922) and from whom he learnt how to carve large marble figurative groups. Baldi also produce works in bronze, for example his bust of Enrico Grimelli that he sent to the exhibition Fiorentina Primaverile held in the gardens of the Palazzo Sangalli in Florence in 1922. He exhibited there alongside more modernist sculptors such as Libero Andreotti, Sirio Tofanari and Renato Brozzi.
The legend of Jael and Sisera, from the Book of Judges 4:12-24, recounts the deliverance of the Israelites from Canaanite domination after their cruel warlord, Sisera, was defeated in a surprise attack by Barak. Fleeing the battlefield, Sisera sought refuge in the tent of Jael, wife of Heber the Kenite, who belonged to a tribe that although at peace with the Canaanites was nonetheless friendly to them. Sisera gladly accepted Jael’s offers of food and drink and was induced by her kindness and alluring beauty into an exhausted sleep. While he slept, however, she drove a tent peg through him temple and called to witness the prophet Deborah, the architect of the Israelites liberation.
Here, Baldi depicts Jael in the moments leading up to the assassination by cleverly juxtaposing the attributes of a ewer and tent peg: in her right hand Jael holds out the ewer in front of her, symbolic of the friendship extended to victim, but in her left hand behind her she conceals the tent peg, thus revealing her true, and fateful, intention.
Joseph- Emmanuel Zwiener - b.1849, Germany
Joseph-Emmanuel Zwiener ranks among the best-haut luxe Parisian cabinetmakers of the late 19th century. Born in Herdon, Germany in 1849, he arrived in Paris by 1880 and set up his workshop at 12 rue de la Roquette, where he remained until 1895. Working in several styles fashionable in Paris at the time, he copied mainly Louis XV pieces from public collections, adapting them in his own exuberant interpretation of Rococo. At the Exposition Universelle in Paris in 1889, he received the gold medal and a note of high praise from the jurists: ‘des ses debuts d’une Exposition universelle, (ill) s’est miss au premier rang par la riches, la hardiness et le fini de ses meubles incrustes de bronzes et fort habiliment marquetes.’
Zwiener almost certainly employed Francois Linke, who was six years younger and a fellow German-speaker. The Pankraz Gedemkbuch mentions Linke as ‘working in Paris with German masters.’ Establishing his own atelier in 1881, Linke would later surpass Zwiener in fame, though his furniture continued to exhibit signs of the elder’s influence. Stylistically, Zwiener’s work is somewhat lighter and, in the words of Christopher Payne, of ‘almost spindly design, although the present lot is more robust than much of his known oeuvre.’ Both cabinetmakers used mounts by the sculptor Leon Massage, whose studio on the rue Sedaine was in close proximity to the Zwiener workshops on the rue de la Roquette and Linke’s at 170 rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine. It is likely that Zwiener introduced Linke to Massage’e work.
In 1895, Zwiener was called to Berlin to execute a series of furniture for the German emperor Wilhelm II (1859-1941) at Schloss Neues Palais, Sans Souci, Potsdam. He had previously produced a copy of bureau du roi for Ludwig II in 1884, another version of which was exhibited at the Exposition in Paris in 1889. Wilhelm preferred the work of German craftsman and refused to order furniture from Paris, though he admired what was produced there. In his native country, the cabinetmaker used the name Julius Zweiner. This has created some confusion among furniture historians, who once considered that Joseph-Emmanuel and Julius Zwiener were possibly brothers; it is now accepted that they were the same person, the name Julius likely having been his name at birth. It was common for immigrants to change their names, and German craftsman coming to Paris would frequently Gallicize one or both of their names. Much of the furniture made for the Kaiser was taken with him into exile in 1918 to Huis Doorn in Utrecht. This included a suite of bedroom furniture which was shown in Paris at the 1900 Exposition and sold in these rooms, June 29, 1989, lots 270-275. (The bed is also illustrated in Kreisel/Himmelheber, Die Kunst des Deutschen Mobels, vol. 3, plate 908).
The bed from the emperor's suite is similar in form and decoration to the present lot, although the mounts and marquetry of the latter are nearly symmetrical, the foliage less naturalistic; the design is more formal and the result, on the whole, more successful. The mounts of the Emperor's suite are attributed, not to Massage, but to Otto Rohloff. Another Zwiener bed is illustrated in Payne's 19th Century European Furniture, page 45. Again, one sees the central foliate marquetry cartouche on both headboard and footboard; the mounts and the overall design are decidedly “spindly”. The best-known –and most outré- Zwiener bed, a tour-de force of figural mounts, is the grand lit de repose which sold Christie’s East, November 5, 1992, lot 401.
The present lot incorporates several motifs in addition to the foliate cartouche which appear elsewhere in Zwiener’s work. A foliate trellis mount similar to that on the side rail was used on a tall case clock (Sotheby’s New York, May 10, 2000, lot 229). The same design executed in marquetry is the central decoration on a commode (Christie’s New York, April 24, 2002, lot 173) and appears also on the footboard of the aforementioned grand lit de repose. Zwiener used the putti and cloud mounts on a side cabinet (Sotheby’s London, September 27, 1991, lot 56). A bust of Minerva, this one in relief, appears on a coffer a bijoux (Christie’s New York, April 24, 2001, lot 256). The unusual and expressive central footboard mount of the forlorn child may be unique. Also atypical are the footboard corner mounts; similar mounts on other Zwiener pieces are usually bare-breasted. The fish-scale bodices of these examples suggest Minerva.
Antoine Blanchard
A.P. Larde comments in his book Antoine Blanchard, His Life His Work
Antoine Blanchard was born in France on November 15, 1910 in a small village near the banks of the Loire. He was the eldest of three children and his father, a carver, managed a small carpentry and furniture shop. Antoine would watch his father hand carve the furniture and began to display an artistic flair early in life - in an effort to promote this talent, his parents sent him to Blois for drawing lessons. He continued his training in Rennes at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts where he studied sculpture and drawing. Upon completion of his studies, he was awarded the schools highest award: Le Prix du Ministre
By 1932 he left Rennes and traveled to Paris to study. He enrolled at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts and after a few years entered the competition for the Prix de Rome. It was in Paris that he developed a love for the city and it's street life.
In 1939 Antoine married a young woman he met in Paris and in September of that year war broke out and he was called up for service. It was not until 1942 that he would return to his art. His daughter Nicole was born in 1944 - she too would follow in the family tradition and after the birth of her two daughters, she became an artist working under the name A. Champeau. It was also around this time that Antoine's father passed away and he was compelled to return to his hometown and run the family business - giving him little time to paint.
His second daughter, Evelyn, was born in 1947 and by 1948 he had given control of the family business to his younger brother and returned to Paris to paint. Contemporary life in Paris had changed and he longed for the bygone days. He began to research the Belle Époque period in Paris - reading and studying all the material on the period he could find.
Many of the subjects and scenes he portrayed were taken from images he collected of Paris during the 1890's and he would often work on paintings for days or months before he finally felt they were complete. A.P. Larde comments in his book Antoine Blanchard, His Life His Work that he has always spent much time on his work. This explains why his production has always been rather limited, unlike the hurried and multiple proliferations of some modern artists… Delicate touches of luminous and shimmering tones produce a marvelous impression of harmony, brightness and light. Alternate shadings and lights, sensitive and mellow blending allow the artist to attain a hardly-ever reached degree of grace, of radiant and glimmering freshness.
Larde continues to write that his works are first of all, a marvelous invitation to an ideal walk through old Paris, so different from that of to-day. Although a large number of historical monuments remain, today's Paris has little in common with Paris at the turn of the century; the scenery may be almost the same, but daily life as it characters has totally changed; the customs have been entirely transformed. In his paintings, Antoine Blanchard invites us to relive this period by showing us pleasant strolls along embankments, squares and boulevards at a period in Parisian life when time did not count, when one had all one's time to idle, to stroll along the streets, to window-shop, to walk quietly along the boulevards or spend the afternoon in a sidewalk café.
Like his contemporary, Édouard Cortès, he devoted his artistic career to the depiction of Paris through all its daily and seasonal changes. But he was not an imitator of Cortes, but rather depicted the life of Paris at the turn of the century from his own point of view and with his own, unique style. Larde makes an interesting comparison:
Édouard Cortès has always expressed himself in a rather rich virile style, using large and stressed touches, revealing a strength, which recalls the great masters of the XVIIIth century.
On the contrary, Antoine Blanchard has always used small strokes, with a delicate, enveloping and mellow treatment; the slight haziness which is a characteristic of his work in many ways recalls the great masters of the impressionist period.
Whether it was l'Arc de Triomphe, la Madeleine, Café de la Paix, Notre Dame or the dozens of other historical monuments and buildings of Paris, his focus was on the daily life of Paris at the turn of the century. His work became highly sought after and collectors from around the world vied to acquire his new works. Today he is considered one of the leading exponents of the School of Paris painters.
Andre Leon Arbus (1903 - 1969)
After graduating from the Ecole des Beaux Arts, Andre joined his father's Toulouse cabinet making firm, which he later was in charge of. Exhibiting in the Paris Salons from 1926 onwards, he moved to the capital in 1930. Andre was awarded the Prix Blumenthal in 1935 and exhibited at the great International Exhibitions in Brussels (1935), Paris (1937) and New York (1939). Although he ended the firm's production of Furniture in eighteenth century styles, his own designs were a great deal inspired by the more stylized classicism of the French Empire. He rejected the rhetoric of the UAM, continuing his workshop system and incorporating luxurious veneers, bleached animal hide vellum and gilt mounts in his furniture.
Beurdeley, A.
Born in 1847, Alfred Beurdeley (d.1919) took over his father’s business in 1875. The shop was located at the Pavillon de Hanovre, while Buerdeley’s workshops were 20 and 24, rue Dautancourt, Paris. The firm specialized in producing luxurious articles of the highest quality and was pre-eminent among Parisian ebinistes and bronziers, especially for the refinement of its ormolu. Beurdeley exhibited at the International Exhibitions, including Paris in 1878 and Amsterdam in 1883, and was awarded the Gold Medal at the Paris Exposition Universelle of 1889.
Charles-Joseph-Frederic Soulacroix (French, 1825-1879)
He was born in Montpellier on 6 July 1825. At the age of twenty, he was a pupil of Ramney, Cornelius and Dumont and began his studies at the School of Fine Art on 22 September 1845; his debut was in 1849 at the Paris Salon.
Cumberworth
Cumberworth appears to have been born in the United States to an English father and French mother. In Paris this proved to be a considerable handicap, for his parentage was not only the cause for his rejection as a prize winner of the Prix de Rome in 1836, but also for his being awarded only three minor state commissions. Cumberworth's style is deeply indebted to his teacher, James Pradier, with whom he studied from 1829 to 1836. Side Lined by the Beaux-Arts system, Cumberworth naturally aligned himself with the emerging anti-academic sculptors of Romanticism in the 1830s, such as Feuchere, Dantan, Maindron and Barre. In the absence of official patronage, he was one of the first sculptors to create his models exclusively as statuettes and sell them to editeurs, such as Susse. Appropriately, his models were also reproduced in England in aprian-ware by Copeland.
The French catalogue of the 1862 International Exhibition records Leon Marchand as a fabricant de bronzes founded in 1820. The firm's artistic director was M. Piat and they offered complete interiors, candelabras en fer forge et repousse, chenets et cheminees. At the 1862 International Exhibition, Marchand exhibited a fisherboy by Schoenewerk and a group of Cleopatra by Cumberworth.
