Antique French Plaster Architectural with Female Mascaron, Late 19th Century

Dating to the 1800s, this imposing French plaster pot a feu (“fire pot”) has been paired with a wooden pedestal that features a well-done orange and brown ...

Found in a chateau in Loriol du Comtat, in the Provence region of France, this large-scale plaster sculpture is signed and dated by the artist, making it a rare find. Originally part of a boiserie containing a fireplace, the sculpture decorated the main hall of the chateau. The artist, Marius Sain, created the piece for the owners of the chateau in 1914. The lovely depiction of a shepherdess and her flock is a fitting subject for an area of France in which shepherding is such an important part of the culture. The preserved heritage of transhumance in Provence goes back at least 800 years, as evidenced by collections of ancient songs, stories, and art. Life-size in scale, the lovely sculpture features a mix of high-, mid-, and low-relief embellishments. A hooded shepherdess tends to her flock of sheep with a crook in hand. A dog sits calmly at her feet as the flock gathers in front of them. Both the shepherdess and the dog are in high relief, as is the lead sheep. The lamb seen suckling from the front sheep was crafted in mid relief, as is the visible head on the far right of the sculpture. There are a few sheep behind them in low relief. Large trees can be seen on either side of the group, while off in the background (faintly visible) are a castle with four fastigiate Mediterranean cypress trees (known as Stricta) and a spired church. The attention to detail is magnificent, with textured surfaces including the animals’ fur and the uneven ground. A previous owner (recently) had an iron and limestone stand created for displaying purposes. The cream-colored limestone has been cut into three pieces and is inset into the six-legged iron frame. Block print on the plaster can be seen just above the edge of the stand. The letters read Le Soir, which is French for “The Night”. The right side of the sculpture has been signed “M Sain 1914”. Marius Joseph Sain was born in 1877 in Avignon, France. In 1902, Sain moved to Paris to study at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts. Through introductions by his older brother and painter, Paul...

These monumental arched antique door shutters were salvaged from a 19th century French chateau. They would have been on the ground floor, attached...

This is a beautiful example of a French lucarne, which was recently salvaged from a Chateau in the Ile-De-France region (near Paris). Pieces like this were built into the sides of a ...

This rare fragment was salvaged from an entryway on a building in Fontvieille, near the city ancient Arles, France. There is a worn and carved center cartouche depicting a very small...

This marble crown finial was hand-carved in Italy in the 1800’s. The marble is cream colored with fascinating gray striped veining. Years of patina build ...

An iron architectural building star anchor mounted on a steel base. The 19th Century star is originally part of a brick building and used to anchor in to...

An iron architectural building star anchor mounted on a steel base. The 19th Century star is originally part of a brick building and used to anchor in to...

An iron architectural building star anchor mounted on a steel base. The 19th Century star is originally part of a brick building and used to anchor in to...

An iron architectural building star anchor mounted on a steel base. The 19th Century star is originally part of a brick building and used to anchor in to...

8-101 bronze French bronze window grade depicting young lovers on a swing.

A stunning later 19th century architectural sculpture of flame finial exquisitely cast in bronze. The sculpture is now presented on its custom made iron base.