Paul Loiseau-Rousseau

PAUL LOISEAU-ROUSSEAU (Paris, 1861-1927) for Friedrich Goldscheider.
Vase "The Fisherwomen", ca. 1900.
Silver plated bronze.
Signed on the right front of the base.
Marks on the back.
Bibliography: Philippe DAHHAN, Étains 1900, 200 Sculpteurs de la Belle Époque, Les Éditions de l'Amateur, Paris, 2000, reproduced p. 255, fig. 755.Weight: 6.900 g.
Measurements: 37 x 28 x 20 cm.

Large Art Nouveau vase in silver plated bronze. The body features organic decoration in relief, covered with vegetal motifs throughout. The design is notable for the narrative scene where two young fisherwomen act as handles, observing some naiads at the bottom of the lake. The piece is signed and bears the stamp of the prestigious Friedrich Goldscheider manufacture on the reverse.

Paul Loiseau-Rousseau (b. 1861) was a French sculptor who, after beginning studies in engraving with Antoine-Louis Barye at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, was forced to focus on small-format sculpture for health and economic reasons. He studied with Théophile Barrau and began to exhibit successfully at the Salon from 1886. In 1892, a scholarship allowed him to travel to Africa. These trips marked his career, inspiring his acclaimed Orientalist works, such as A Negro Playing the Goumbri (1893) and Bust of a Negro from Sudan (1895). His talent was recognized with multiple awards, including the second medal at the 1895 Salon and a gold medal at the 1900 Universal Exposition. He was named Knight of the Legion of Honor in 1901.

Friedrich Goldscheider was a Bohemian-born Austrian entrepreneur and manufacturer of ceramics and bronze. He specialized in porcelain, terracotta, earthenware and bronze.