Henri Huppe

HENRI HUPPE (1855-1904).
Jug, ca. 1900.
Silver-plated pewter.
Signed on one side.
Marks on reverse.
Weight: 2,400 g.
Bibliography: Philippe DAHHAN, Étains 1900, 200 Sculpteurs de la Belle Époque, Les Éditions de l'Amateur, Paris, 2000, reproduced p. 196, fig. 561, right.
Measurements: 33 x 14 x 17 cm.

Art Nouveau pewter jug (c. 1900) with elaborate bas-relief decoration fusing mythological and biblical themes. The mouth is adorned with the face of a satyr, while the lower part symbolizes the waters of the Nile River, representing Moses in his cradle among the reeds and surrounded by Naiads. The handle, also sculptural, is modeled as a young woman holding a shell.

The sculptor Henri Huppe achieved public recognition after participating in the prestigious Paris Salon of 1874. This Salon, which exhibited works approved by the Royal Academy and later by the Academy of Fine Arts, was the central artistic event in Paris until 1880.