Jules Vermeire

JULES VERMEIRE (Belgium, 1885-1977).
Art Deco Madonna, 1930s.
Frosted glass.
Provenance: personal collection of the sculptor Xavier Corberó.
Measurements: 22 x 14 x 4 cm (sculpture); 3,5 x 15 x 5,5 cm (base).

Devotional sculpture by Jules Vermeire, made in the thirties, fully inscribed in the Art Deco aesthetic. The work represents a half bust Virgin, conceived with a marked formal simplification and a strong sense of continuous line, characteristic features of the modern language of the interwar period.

Modeled in frosted glass, the figure has a matte and translucent finish that softens the volumes and generates a delicate play of light, giving it an ethereal and silent presence. The face, with closed eyes and recollected expression, conveys an intimate and serene spirituality, far from academic naturalism and close to a symbolic idealization. The veil is organically integrated into the mass of the whole, enveloping the head in an almost oval profile, of great geometric purity.

The original base, sober and dark, underlines the contrast with the translucency of the glass and accentuates the sculptural character of the whole.