Antoine Bourdelles, French Belle Epoch, Sculptural Bronze Bookends, Ca. 1910
French Belle Epoch
Antoine Bourdelle
Sculptural Pair of Bookends
Patinated Bronze
Edmond Etling & Cie Foundry, Paris
ca. 1910
DIMENSIONS
Height: 7.5 inches
Width: 3.33 inches
Depth: 3.33 inches
MARKINGS
Same markings are present on the plinths of both bookends:
Signed 'A. Bourdelle’.
Stamped ‘Edmond Etling & Cie Foundry, Paris’
ABOUT BOOKENDS
This exquisite pair of bookends, created by the renowned French sculptor Antoine Bourdelle, epitomizes the grace and emotional depth of the Belle Époque era. Each bookend is a remarkable sculpture in its own right, yet when placed together, they form an inseparable narrative composition, bound by a shared plot. One bookend captures the passionate embrace of Harlequin and his mistress, a tender yet intense moment frozen in time. The second bookend portrays Pierrot, lost in the anguish of jealousy, his expression and posture radiating sorrow and longing. Together, these two figurative sculptures create a dramatic scene, where the books they support become part of the stage set, acting as a barrier between the characters—much like a stage wall in a theatrical performance. The interplay of emotion and movement in this captivating sculptural pair makes it a true masterpiece, seamlessly blending art with functionality.
ABOUT SCULPTOR
Émile Antoine Bordelles (French, 1861 - 1929) was an influential and prolific French sculptor and teacher. He was a student of Auguste Rodin, a teacher of Giacometti and Henri Matisse, and an important figure in the Art Deco movement and the transition from the Beaux-Arts seyle to modern sculp[ture. His studio became the Musee Bourdelle, an art museum dedicated to his work, located at 18, rue Antoine Bourdelle, in the15th arondissement of Paris, France. His very well known for his use of quivering Romanesque forms in his depictions of mythological figures. One of his best known works Hercules the Archer (1909), was a commissioned sculpture for the financier Gabriel Thomas. Born Émile-Antoine Bourdelle on October 30, 1861 in Montauban, France, he learned woodworking as a youth from his father who was a cabinetmaker. While assisting his father during the workday, he studied drawing at the École des Beaux-Arts in Toulouse in the evening. Moving to Paris in 1885, the artist became an assistant to Auguste Rodin in 1893, Rodin’s influence is evident in many of Bourdelle’s early sculptures. By 1900, he had begun receiving commissions for a number of theaters and later taught classes at his studio to young artist such as Alberto Giacometti and Otto Gutfreund...
Category
French Belle Époque Vintage 1910s Decorative Objects
