August Moreau

AUGUSTE MOREAU (France, 1834 - 1917).
Tabletop centerpiece "Espièglerie" (Mischief), ca. 1890.
Silver-plated pewter.
Signed on the right side of the base.
Marks and titled on the reverse.
Weight: 1,200 g.
Bibliography: Philippe DAHHAN, Étains 1900, 200 Sculpteurs de la Belle Époque, Les Éditions de l'Amateur, Paris, 2000, reproduced p. 282, fig. 833.
Measurements: 16 x 20 x 16.5 cm.

The centerpiece is a paradigmatic example that masterfully illustrates the aesthetic revolution that Art Nouveau brought to the decorative arts. It has two handles in vegetal forms and decoration of naiads and cherubs in relief.

Son of the painter Jean Baptiste Moreau, Auguste Moreau began his training as a disciple of his older brother Mathurin. He made his debut at the Paris Salon of 1861, where he participated regularly until 1913. He was also a member of the Société des Artistes Français. His themes - genre scenes, pastoral, allegorical - and his style, realistic and full of grace, link him to other members of the Moreau dynasty. He produced mainly bronzes, although he also worked in marble and occasionally combined bronze with gold ("Victrix enfant", presented at the 1897 Salon). He made numerous editions of his works, highly demanded by the public both for their themes, very fashionable at the time, and for their naturalism and graceful beauty. We can contemplate Auguste Moreau's works in the Museums of Fine Arts of Bordeaux, Dijon, Gray and Reims, as well as in private collections both in France and in other countries (he was especially edited in the United States).