Henry Fugère

HENRY FUGÈRE (France, 1872 - 1944).
Tabletop centerpiece, ca. 1895.
Patinated pewter.
Signed at lower right next to the foot.
Wear. Slight losses in the patina.
Weight: 3.000 g.
Bibliography: Philippe DAHHAN, Étains 1900, 200 Sculpteurs de la Belle Époque, Les Éditions de l'Amateur, Paris, 2000, reproduced p. 155, fig. 422.
Measurements: 20 x 36 x 17 cm.

This Art Nouveau tabletop centerpiece in patinated pewter is a piece of great plastic strength. It depicts the figure of a nude young woman who, in a pose of dynamic effort, holds a large shell designed to be used as a pocket emptier. The work is an example of the creative freedom of the period, where the human figure and natural elements merge to elevate a functional object to the category of art sculpture.

Henri Fugère was a French sculptor and medal engraver. Although he exhibited regularly in the salons of the Société des Artistes Français from 1893 (becoming vice-president and receiving an honorary mention in 1927), his work was mainly in the Art Deco style. Initially, he specialized in bronzes of idealized beauties, such as his figure of Salome. However, he also produced realistic representations of soldiers or workers. Fugère excelled in chryselephantine works, combining materials such as bronze, ivory and stone.