Lebrun. Belle Époque, ca. 1900

LEBRUN (France, active at the end of the 19th century).
"Nymph".
Relief in marble.
Signed (Lebrun) on the right side.
Measurements: 40 x 31 x 13 cm.

Attractive relief in carved marble signed by Lebrun, sculptor active around 1900, representing a female head of idealized character, identifiable as a nymph. The work stands out for the delicacy of the modeling of the face, with a serene and self-absorbed expression, which emerges with great subtlety from the material.

The sculptor develops an interesting contrast between the polished surface of the figure and the rocky background, reinforcing the sensation of organic appearance. This resource, together with the treatment of the hair in wide undulating locks, places the work in the aesthetic orbit of the Belle Époque, with affinities with both symbolism and Art Nouveau, especially in its taste for sinuous lines and the integration between figure and nature.

The piece responds to a typology that was highly appreciated around the turn of the century, in which the female figure -conceived as a nymph or allegory- embodies an ideal of poetic and timeless beauty. It is a work of great decorative appeal, representative of the sculptural refinement of the end of the century.