Aristide de Raineri

ARISTIDE DE RAINERI (Italy, 1880 - France, 1914).
Vase, ca. 1900.
Tinned bronze.
Signed on the right side of the base.
Bibliography: Philippe Dahhan, "Etains 1900 - 200 Sculpteurs de la Belle Epoque", Editions de l'amateur. Page 352, fig. 1072.
Weight: 17,900 g.
Measurements: 61 x 25 x 29 cm.

This large Art Nouveau vase, with its elegant bulbous body and undulating mouth, is an exceptional piece executed in tin-plated bronze. Its relief narrates a scene of great delicacy: a seated young woman, wrapped in subtle veils, gently holds two birds in her hands. The composition expands organically with an exuberant ornamentation of flowers, birds and botanical motifs. It is a testament to the creative freedom of the period, where human anatomy and nature converge to elevate a functional object to the status of art sculpture.

Born in Italy, Ranieri developed his career in Paris, where he participated assiduously in the Salon, being awarded in 1899 with honorable mention. He worked with a variety of materials, including bronze, marble, plaster and terracotta, and produced mainly small ornamental sculptures and decorative objects in the Art Nouveau style. His themes are also typically Art Nouveau: nymphs and ethereal ladies, feminine allegories, etc., although he also represented genre scenes, children's figures and literary themes.