Hippolyte Moreau

HIPPOLYTE MOREAU (Dijon, 1832 - Neuilly-sur-Seine, 1927).
Vase "Les iris", ca. 1900.
Silver-plated pewter.
Signed on the back.
Bibliography: Philippe DAHHAN, Étains 1900, 200 Sculpteurs de la Belle Époque, Les Éditions de l'Amateur, Paris, 2000, reproduced p. 281, fig. 830.
Weight: 6,100 g.
Measurements: 45 x 23 x 25 cm.

This large Art Nouveau vase is made of silver-plated pewter. Its rich decoration includes a nymph that serves as a side handle, a seated child in the central part of the body, and profuse vegetal decorations and flowers (iris) that cover the entire piece. The work is an exceptional example of the creative freedom of the period, where the human figure and natural elements merge to elevate a functional object to the category of art sculpture.

The creator, Hippolyte Moreau (son of Jean-Baptiste Moreau), was a French sculptor who trained in his father's workshop and completed his studies in Paris with the classicist master François Jouffroy. Between 1863 and 1914, he exhibited at the Salon des Artistes Français, specializing in sculptures of female figures and children with allegorical or symbolic resonance. Moreau was a prize-winner at the Universal Exhibitions of 1877 and 1900. Although known for his small and medium-sized bronze sculpture, he also produced numerous decorative and utilitarian objects in metal and ceramic, such as vases and statuettes.