Alfred Jean Foretay

ALFRED JEAN FORETAY (Morges, 1861 - Geneva, 1944).
Tray "The Bath of the Nymphs", ca. 1895.
Pewter.
Signed on the lower right.
Ettlinger Frères foundry stampon the reverse.
Bibliography: Philippe DAHHAN, Étains 1900, 200 Sculpteurs de la Belle Époque, Les Éditions de l'Amateur, Paris, 2000, reproduced p. 144, fig. 387.
Weight: 2,150 g.
Measurements: 6 x 35 x 30 cm.

This tray, with its delicate shell-shaped silhouette, presents a relief where the naiads come to life between the dynamism of the waves and the swaying of the tide. The piece is a paradigmatic example of the creative freedom of Art Nouveau, masterfully illustrating the aesthetic revolution that transformed everyday objects into true works of art.

Alfred Jean Foretay (b. 1861) was a Swiss sculptor and painter who began his career in the office of his father, an architect. At the age of 16, he moved to Paris, where he trained at the École des Beaux-Arts as a student of Alexandre Falguière (he received an honorary mention in 1891 and a gold medal in 1904). Foretay is known for his bronze sculptures, architectural decoration, statuettes and decorative pewter vessels in Art Nouveau style. After a successful career in France, he returned to Switzerland in 1911 to devote himself to architectural sculpture and later turned to Impressionist-style landscape painting. His sculptural work is remarkable for the versatility of his creations and their adaptation to the aesthetics of the end of the century.

Ettlinger Frères were early 20th century foundries and publishers specialized in the production of pewter objects, especially in the Art Nouveau style. This foundry is associated with works by François Madurell and Joseph Berthier, among many others.