Jean Garnier

JEAN GARNIER (Mouzeuil, 1853 - Paris, 1910).
Tabletop center, ca.1900.
Silver-plated pewter.
Signed on the side.
Ettlinger Frères stampon the back.
Weight: 1,360 g.
Bibliography: Philippe DAHHAN, Étains 1900, 200 Sculpteurs de la Belle Époque, Les Éditions de l'Amateur, Paris, 2000, reproduced p. 165, fig. 897.
Measurements: 17.5 x 13 x 13 cm.

This Art Nouveau lidded jar, made of silver-plated pewter, has the unusual shape of a colloquinta (medicinal gourd). Its sculptural design is highlighted by a cherub on one side holding the lid with his hands, complemented by relief decoration of plant ornaments and frogs.

The designer of this vessel is Jean Garnier (or J. Garnier), a key French Art Nouveau sculptor known for his bronze sculptures and decorative vessels. His works, which earned him an honorable mention at the 1892 Salon, are distinguished by realism and the capture of movement in human figures.

The production of pieces like this one is associated with specialized foundries such as Ettlinger Frères, active in the early 20th century. This foundry specialized in Art Nouveau pewter objects and collaborated with artists such as François Madurell and Joseph Berthier.