Mathurin Moreau

MATHURIN MOREAU (Dijon, 1822-Paris, 1912)
"Fame".
White Carrara marble.
Signed.
Measurements: 88 x 52 x 32 cm.
This marble sculpture represents Psyche, with outstretched arm, fused in a passionate embrace with Cupid, embodying in a poetic way the union between romantic love and the human soul. The theme, deeply rooted in the classical tradition, is treated here with a special sensitivity, highlighting the soft modeling of the forms, the harmony of the composition and the tenderness that emanates from the interaction between the two characters.
The piece is part of the production of Mario Dante Zoi, a sculptor active in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, of whom little biographical information is preserved. It is known, however, that he worked in Florence in the prestigious workshops of Romanelli and Lapini, fundamental centers of Italian sculpture of the period, where a solid academic training combined with a decorative sensibility in keeping with the international taste of the time was perpetuated. Zoi exhibited occasionally around 1900 and developed mainly a production of marble figures, many of them marked by an orientalist inspiration.
From a stylistic point of view, this work reflects the continuity of the great Italian sculptural tradition, heir to classicism and open to the symbolist and sentimental currents of the end of the century. The idealized treatment of the bodies, the attention to gesture and the fluidity of the modeling reveal a profound technical mastery and a clear narrative vocation. One of his most singular works, a figure of a Ballerina in polychrome marble, is part of the remarkable collection of Franco Maria Ricci at the Labirinto della Masone, which confirms the interest and quality of his production.