Paul Philippe

PAUL PHILIPPE (Thorn, 1870 – Paris, 1930),
"The Awakening."
Marble.
Signed.
Measurements: 78 cm (height).

The sculpture depicts a nude young woman stretching upon waking, in a pronounced contrapposto pose with her arms outstretched and her torso arched backward. This serpentine line emphasizes the fluidity, grace, and dynamism characteristic of the transition from Art Nouveau to Art Deco.
Although Philippe is widely known for his bronze models and his chrysoelephantine pieces (bronze and ivory), his monumental or medium-sized versions carved entirely from white marble stand out for their refined anatomical modeling, the soft polish of the skin, and the elegance of the female figure.
Paul Philippe was a prominent French sculptor associated with the Art Nouveau and Art Deco movements, celebrated for his detailed human and allegorical figures. He specialized in sculptures of young women, cabaret dancers, mythological figures, and allegorical representations full of elegance, dynamism, and movement. He was known for his use of the chrysoelefantine technique (a combination of patinated or gilded bronze with the face, hands, and details carved from ivory).