Emmanuel Villanis

EMMANUEL VILLANIS (France, 1858 -1914).
Jug with lid. ca.1900.
Silver-plated pewter.
Signed on the back.
Bibliography: Philippe Dahhan, "Etains 1900 - 200 Sculpteurs de la Belle Epoque", Editions de l'amateur. Page 397, fig. 1227.
Weight: 1,470 g.
Measurements: 19.5 x 12 x 15 cm.

Art Nouveau silver-plated pewter jug, with decoration of a young nude woman forming the handle, leaning on the lid and with a large bow at her feet. The base is decorated with a satyr's face and a young woman stretched out. The piece is a testament to how human anatomy and botanical elements converge to elevate an everyday object to the category of collectible sculpture.

Emmanuel Villanis was a French sculptor of Italian descent and a key figure in the Art Nouveau movement. Trained at the Albertina Academy of Fine Arts in Turin under the tutelage of Odoardo Tabacchi, he settled permanently in the bohemian neighborhood of Montmartre in 1885. Considered one of the most prolific artists of the fin de siècle, his work stands out for the representation of literary, operatic and mythological heroines - such as Aida, Dalila or Cendrillon - as well as social types and allegories. Villanis achieved international renown, especially for his elegant bronze busts cast by the Société des Bronzes de Paris and his exquisite chryselephantine sculptures. His success crossed borders, reaching the American market with force, and was endorsed by important awards at the Salon des Artistes Français and at the Universal Exhibitions of Paris (1889) and Chicago (1903).