Auguste Ledru

AUGUSTE LEDRU (Paris, 1860-1902).
Vase, ca. 1895.
Silver-plated metal.
Signed on one side.
Susse Freres foundry stamp, Paris (Publishers).
Weight: 11.250 g.
Bibliography: Philippe DAHHAN, Étains 1900, 200 Sculpteurs de la Belle Époque, Les Éditions de l'Amateur, Paris, 2000, reproduced p. 243, fig. 709.
One like the one we are bidding for, but in patinated bronze, is on display at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris. Donated in 2005.
Measurements: 35 x 30 x 24 cm.

This large Art Nouveau jug in silver-plated metal is richly decorated in relief with a dramatic narrative: the head of an old man is integrated under the spout of the jug, while the body depicts a disconsolate young woman, all framed by profuse vegetal decorations in high relief.

Auguste Ledru was a sculptor and ornamental designer who trained under the tutelage of Dumont, Bonnassieu, Thomas and Boisseaux, in addition to working with his eponymous father, also a sculptor. He was a constant participant in the Salon de la Société des Artistes Français between 1883 and 1902 (the year of his death). His talent was recognized with an honorary mention in 1892, and medals of third (1894) and second class (1896, the latter obtained together with his brother-in-law, the famous René Lalique). Ledru also collaborated with prestigious publishers such as Maison Susse, Thiébaut Frères and Émile Colin.

Susse Frères (Susse Brothers), Paris, began as a family business founded in 1758. Beginning in the early 19th century, the company evolved into an art publishing house and foundry, making Susse Fondeur the oldest French art foundry still in operation. Initially selling miscellaneous items (from artists' materials to books and photographic material) in their store on Place de la Bourse, they consolidated their position in 1840 by establishing their first bronze fabrication workshop (assembling, chiseling and patina), immediately joining the Réunion des Fabricants de Bronze.