Henri Honoré Plé

HENRI HONORÉ PLÉ (Paris, 1853.1922).
Large "Leda" vase. Ca. 1900.
Silver-plated pewter.
Signed on base, back.
Marks on back of foundry and publisher Ettlinger Frères.
Bibliography: Philippe Dahhan, "Etains 1900 - 200 Sculpteurs de la Belle Epoque", Editions de l'amateur. Page 345, fig. 1051.
Weight: 9,700 g.
Measurements: 37 x 39 x 22 cm.

This large-format baluster-shaped piece is a display of classical and naturalistic symbolism. In the upper part, there is a semicircular decoration with the figure of a young woman lying next to a grotesque mask, while the handle is transformed into a swan emerging from a rosette of leaves, alluding to the myth of Leda. The base narrates a costumbrist scene of a child observing a crab, all framed in a body decorated with a seascape of sailboats in relief. The piece bears the author's signature and the prestigious stamp of the Ettlinger Frères foundry.

Henri Honoré Plé trained with the renowned artists Gérault and Mathurin Moreau. He developed his career as a painter and sculptor, specializing in portraits and bas-reliefs, mainly in stone. He exhibited regularly at the Paris Salon from 1877, where he received honorable mentions in 1879, and was awarded a bronze medal at the 1900 Paris Universal Exposition.

Ettlinger Frères, foundry and publisher, was an early 20th century foundry specializing in the production of pewter objects, especially linked to the Art Nouveau style. The house was associated with works by artists such as François Madurell and Joseph Berthier.