Antonio Frilli

Disrobing Maiden

1900

Demetre Haralamb Chiparus (also known as Dumitru Chiparus) (16 September 1886 in Dorohoi, Romania - 22 January 1947 in Paris, France) was a Romanian Art Deco* era sculptor who lived and worked in Paris. He was born in Romania, the son of Haralamb and Saveta. In 1909 he went to Italy, where he attended the classes of Italian sculptor Raffaello Romanelli. In 1912 he traveled to Paris to attend the Ecole des Beaux Arts* to pursue his art at the classes of Antonin Mercie and Jean Boucher. Demetre Chiparus died in 1947 and was buried in Bagneux cemetery, just south of Paris. The first sculptures of Chiparus were created in the realistic style and were exhibited at the Salon of 1914. He employed the combination of bronze and ivory, called chryselephantine*, to great effect. Most of his renowned works were made between 1914 and 1933. The first series of sculptures manufactured by Chiparus were the series of the children. The mature style of Chiparus took shape beginning in the 1920s. His sculptures are remarkable for their bright and outstanding decorative effect. Dancers of the Russian Ballet, French theatre, and early motion pictures were among his more notable subjects and were typified by a long, slender, stylized appearance. His work was influenced by an interest in Egypt, after Pharaoh Tutankhamen's tomb was excavated. He worked primarily with the Edmond Etling and Cie Foundry in Paris administrated by Julien Dreyfus. Les Neveux de J. Lehmann was the second foundry which constantly worked with Chiparus and produced the sculptures of his models. Chiparus rarely exhibited at the Salon. In 1923 he showed his Javelin Thrower, and in 1928 exhibited his Ta-Keo dancer. During the period of Nazi persecution and the World War II, the foundries discontinued production of work by Chiparus. The economic situation of that time was not favorable to the development of decorative arts and circumstances for many sculptors worsened. Since the early 1940s almost no works of Chiparus were sold, but he continued sculpting for his own pleasure, depicting animals in the Art Deco style. At the 1942 Paris Salon, the plaster sculptures Polar Bear and American Bison were exhibited, and in 1943 he showed a marble Polar Bear and plaster Pelican. Sculptures of Dimitri Chiparus represent the classical manifestation of Art Deco style in decorative bronze ivory sculpture. Traditionally, four factors of influence over the creative activity of the artist can be distinguished: Serge Diaghilev's Ballets Russes, ancient Egyptian art, and French theatre. Early motion pictures were among his more notable subjects and were typified by figures with a long, slender, stylized appearance. Some of his sculptures were directly inspired by Russian dancers. Quite often, Chiparus used the photos of Russian and French dancers, stars and models from fashion magazines of his time. After the tomb of Tutankhamun was discovered in 1922, the art of ancient Egypt...

Document from the Nashvile Art Association dated 1925. The marble was purchased in Florence, Italy at an exhibit of The Association of of Italian Artists.

Beautiful La Belle Epoque marble in nive vintage condition. Mathurin Moreau (1822-1912) was a French sculptor in the academic style. He was born in Dijon, first exhibited in the 1848 Salon, and finally received a medal of honor...

A rare Art Deco patinated metal sculpture modelled as an athletic male walking alongside a stylized lion utlizing cubist elements. The work is set on a black polished stone base whic...

A very good antique Neo-Classical bronze of a Bacchante or Maenad, by Spanish sculptor Gustave Obiols Delgado (1858-1902). The sculpture circa 1890. This large & very attractive, fin...

A very beautiful antique Art Nouveau bronzed Carrara marble sculpture bust of a young maiden circa 1900, by Gustave Van Vaerenbergh (1871-1927). The sculpture portrays a beautiful young maiden made from Cararra marble, she is wearing a laurel wreath in her hair. She wears a bronzed bodice with leaf decoration in relief and is raised on a varigated grey & white socle base. The sculpture is signed to the rear " G. V. Vaerenbergh" and numbered "1173", the bust is in excellent condition. Gustave Van Vaerenbergh attended classes at the Academy of Fine Arts in Ghent, Belgium from 1888 to 1890. Like many artists from a modest background (he was the son of a shoemaker) , Gustave Van Vaerenbergh went to work in companies where he could use his artistic talent and education for commercial purposes. In 1901 he moved to Saint-Josse-ten-Noode , and a year later to Schaerbeek where he would live for the rest of his life. He went to work there as a " mouleur en plâtre " (modeller or maker of matrices for plaster statues) at the company A. Carli Frères in the L'Olivierstraat in Schaerbeek, a company that produced commercial statues. This successful company, which was active from the beginning to the middle of the twentieth century , initially had about 20 employees and at its peak about 100 employees. The statues were distributed worldwide. Antonio Carli, a sculptor, was the founder of the Atelier A. Carli Frères, together with family members. They came from Bagni di Lucca...

Emmanuel Villanis was well known primarily for his bronzes of beautiful young women. With Phryne, the sculptor is working in marble. Since stone is not in the least forgiving, it's...

Ballet Dancer. Rosenthal Selb Porcelain Manufactory. Model 1772 Porcelain figurine representing the ballet dancer Sybille Spalinger, made by the Rosenthal Art Department (Kunstabtei...