After Florentin Louis Chauvet

After FLORENTIN LOUIS CHAUVET (Béziers, 1878–Paris, 1958).
“Le Rêve.”
Sculptural inkwell in gilded bronze on a marble base.
Signed. Features a plaque with the inscription “LE RÊVE / PAR F. CHAUVET.”
It has a patina consistent with its age.
Measurements: 20 x 20 x 15 cm.

The piece draws on the Symbolist style characteristic of Florentin Louis Chauvet’s decorative work, combining the function of an inkwell with an allegorical sculptural composition. A nude female figure appears lost in sleep upon an irregularly modeled surface, while a beast-like figure rises behind her, creating a scene with a dreamlike atmosphere in keeping with the title. The gilding accentuates the hallmarks between the polished surfaces of the body and the more vibrant treatment of the surroundings. The integration of sculpture and functional objects is particularly characteristic of French decorative arts around 1900, with Chauvet being a leading figure in the creation of such pieces.

Florentin Louis Chauvet was a French painter and sculptor trained in the Parisian academic milieu. He participated in the Salon de la Société des Artistes Français in 1903 and 1904, and his body of work encompassed both sculpture and the decorative arts. The Musée d’Orsay houses a bronze *Jardinière* dated 1907, a significant example of this latter aspect of his work.