Skip to main content

Art Nouveau Sculptures

ART NOUVEAU STYLE

In its sinuous lines and flamboyant curves inspired by the natural world, antique Art Nouveau furniture reflects a desire for freedom from the stuffy social and artistic strictures of the Victorian era. The Art Nouveau movement developed in the decorative arts in France and Britain in the early 1880s and quickly became a dominant aesthetic style in Western Europe and the United States.

ORIGINS OF ART NOUVEAU FURNITURE DESIGN

CHARACTERISTICS OF ART NOUVEAU FURNITURE DESIGN

  • Sinuous, organic and flowing lines
  • Forms that mimic flowers and plant life
  • Decorative inlays and ornate carvings of natural-world motifs such as insects and animals 
  • Use of hardwoods such as oak, mahogany and rosewood

ART NOUVEAU FURNITURE DESIGNERS TO KNOW

ANTIQUE ART NOUVEAU FURNITURE ON 1STDIBS

Art Nouveau — which spanned furniture, architecture, jewelry and graphic design — can be easily identified by its lush, flowing forms suggested by flowers and plants, as well as the lissome tendrils of sea life. Although Art Deco and Art Nouveau were both in the forefront of turn-of-the-20th-century design, they are very different styles — Art Deco is marked by bold, geometric shapes while Art Nouveau incorporates dreamlike, floral motifs. The latter’s signature motif is the "whiplash" curve — a deep, narrow, dynamic parabola that appears as an element in everything from chair arms to cabinetry and mirror frames.

The visual vocabulary of Art Nouveau was particularly influenced by the soft colors and abstract images of nature seen in Japanese art prints, which arrived in large numbers in the West after open trade was forced upon Japan in the 1860s. Impressionist artists were moved by the artistic tradition of Japanese woodblock printmaking, and Japonisme — a term used to describe the appetite for Japanese art and culture in Europe at the time — greatly informed Art Nouveau. 

The Art Nouveau style quickly reached a wide audience in Europe via advertising posters, book covers, illustrations and other work by such artists as Aubrey Beardsley, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and Alphonse Mucha. While all Art Nouveau designs share common formal elements, different countries and regions produced their own variants.

In Scotland, the architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh developed a singular, restrained look based on scale rather than ornament; a style best known from his narrow chairs with exceedingly tall backs, designed for Glasgow tea rooms. Meanwhile in France, Hector Guimard — whose iconic 1896 entry arches for the Paris Metro are still in use — and Louis Majorelle produced chairs, desks, bed frames and cabinets with sweeping lines and rich veneers. 

The Art Nouveau movement was known as Jugendstil ("Youth Style") in Germany, and in Austria the designers of the Vienna Secession group — notably Koloman Moser, Josef Hoffmann and Joseph Maria Olbrich — produced a relatively austere iteration of the Art Nouveau style, which mixed curving and geometric elements.

Art Nouveau revitalized all of the applied arts. Ceramists such as Ernest Chaplet and Edmond Lachenal created new forms covered in novel and rediscovered glazes that produced thick, foam-like finishes. Bold vases, bowls and lighting designs in acid-etched and marquetry cameo glass by Émile Gallé and the Daum Freres appeared in France, while in New York the glass workshop-cum-laboratory of Louis Comfort Tiffany — the core of what eventually became a multimedia decorative-arts manufactory called Tiffany Studios — brought out buoyant pieces in opalescent favrile glass. 

Jewelry design was revolutionized, as settings, for the first time, were emphasized as much as, or more than, gemstones. A favorite Art Nouveau jewelry motif was insects (think of Tiffany, in his famed Dragonflies glass lampshade).

Like a mayfly, Art Nouveau was short-lived. The sensuous, languorous style fell out of favor early in the 20th century, deemed perhaps too light and insubstantial for European tastes in the aftermath of World War I. But as the designs on 1stDibs demonstrate, Art Nouveau retains its power to fascinate and seduce.

There are ways to tastefully integrate a touch of Art Nouveau into even the most modern interior — browse an extraordinary collection of original antique Art Nouveau furniture on 1stDibs, which includes decorative objects, seating, tables, garden elements and more.

5
857
9
6
to
93
474
283
872
866
866
6,446
4,932
2,817
767
644
615
534
518
448
295
239
214
198
99
72
66
63
224
633
15
509
50
21
178
78
48
25
5
4
4
7
5
4
Height
to
Width
to
513
416
239
165
130
800
356
132
129
73
29
28
20
13
10
Style: Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau Children Group 'Girl With Child', T. Eichler, Meissen Germany, 1905
Located in Vienna, AT
Extremely rare Meissen Art Nouveau porcelain group: Two girls in clothing of circa 1900, the elder with hair pinned up in a bun in a blue fringed white dress with a yellow petticoat...
Category

Early 1900s German Antique Art Nouveau Sculptures

Materials

Porcelain

C. Conndray Bronze Figural Art Nouveau Sculpture Coffee Table with Glass Top
Located in Chattanooga, TN
Beautifully patinated, absolutely exquisite Art Nouveau figural bronze coffee table by C. Conndray. This coffee table is a perfect example ...
Category

1960s American Vintage Art Nouveau Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Early 20th Century Bronze Group Entitled Diana the Huntress by a Muller-Crefeld
Located in London, GB
A very fine bronze sculpture modeled as the beautiful Goddess standing with her bow and quiver and gently holding the collar of her hunting hound. The bronze with warm brown patina a...
Category

Early 20th Century German Art Nouveau Sculptures

Materials

Marble, Bronze

19th Century Bronze entitled "Famille de Cerf" by Antoine Barye
Located in London, GB
A delightful late 19th century animalier bronze group of a family of resting deer including alert Stag and resting Doe & Faun. The subject modelled with wonderful intuition and skill. The surface has a rich green patination and excellent hand chased detail. Raised on a stepped bronze base, signed Barye and inscribed F Barbedienne Fondeur. Additional information Height: 22 cm Width: 25 cm Depth: 14 cm Condition: Excellent Original Condition Foundry: Barbedienne Circa: 1870 Materials: Bronze Book Ref BARYE Catalogue Raisonne des Sculptures by Michel Poletti – Alain Richarme Page no. 301 Description Antoine Louis Barye “The Michelangelo of the Menagerie” These are the words of Théophile Gautier in praise of Barye’s genius. Throughout his life Barye endeavoured to capture the fundamental nature of the animal kingdom in all its diversity, wild or tame, exotic or familiar, cruel or gentle, bringing to life the roaring, trembling, living beasts. The son of a goldsmith, apprenticed to a steel engraver at a young age, Barye found himself making moulds for ornaments, acquiring knowledge that he would later build on to produce his exquisitely chased bronzes. When he was called up at seventeen, he joined the army’s topographic brigade where he used clay to model raised relief maps...
Category

Late 19th Century French Antique Art Nouveau Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

“Putto on Doe” Art Nouveau Bronze Sculpture by Charles Korschann
Located in Shippensburg, PA
CHARLES KORSCHANN Czech, 1872-1943 Putto Riding a Doe Medium-brown patinated bronze over an original marble base Signed "CH. KORRSCHANN." and sealed with foundry cachet for Louchet Item # 301LCJ14L A very fine lifetime casting of Charles Korschann's Putto Riding a Doe, the model is steeped in the elements of the Art Nouveau with a distinct celebration of the naturalistic. The putto grasps a simple harp in his hand while a loose garment bound in a belt encircling his waist billows in the unseen wind. The doe looks on with disinterest, unconcerned about its surroundings and almost at one with its rider. It is a carefully composed idealization of the natural world and the potential for harmony between man and beast. The casting is exquisite, typical of work from Louchet, and is finished in a medium-brown translucent patina. Charles Korschann Born in Brno, Monrovia in 1872 as Charles Korschmann, later dropping the "m" to appear less Germanic, he studied at the fine arts academies of Vienna, Berlin and Paris before finally establishing himself in Paris in 1894. He spent his entire career working in Paris, exhibiting at the 1900 Exposition Universelle where he was awarded a Bronze Medal and from 1894 through 1905 at the Société des Artistes Français. His work is very distinctive and immediately recognizable, a most important trait as an artist and a particular accomplishment in light of the output of his contemporaries. He was to sculpture what Alphonse Mucha was to graphics, both men originating from the same province in Czechoslovakia and having similar influences in Paris. It is rather fitting that he would execute a bust of Alphonse Mucha for the Museum of Brno in honor of his accomplishments. Artist Listings...
Category

20th Century French Art Nouveau Sculptures

Materials

Marble, Bronze

French Ceramic Sculpture of Lady Liberty with Early 20th Century Flower Holder
Located in Milano, MI
French ceramic figurine of a lady carrying flowers, made in the early 20th century. The figurine is in good condition, has some chipping due to ageing, detailed photos of which ha...
Category

1920s French Vintage Art Nouveau Sculptures

Materials

Ceramic

Carl Kauba, Frightened by the Frog, Viennese Bronze Sculpture, circa 1915
Located in New York, NY
Dimensions Total Height: 7.5 inches Base Height: 2 inches Width: 2.75 inches Depth: 2.75 inches ABOUT This charming desk figurine in dark brown patinated Viennese bronze by the famous Austrian sculptor Karl Kaub stands out for the originality and humor of its subject matter. The author depicted with amazing subtlety a boy who jumped on one leg in fright, suddenly seeing a frog sitting on his arm. CARL KAUBA (Austrian, 1865-1922) was born August 13, 1865 in Vienna, Austria. The son of a shoemaker, Kauba chose to follow his calling into the world of art. Collectors now rank him in a class with Remington and Russell as one of the great portrayers of American Western. His subjects were typically American Indians, calvarymen, cowboys, and roughriders. In addition to his American bronzes, Kauba produced a lifetime’s worth of Austrian statuary. His work became fully appreciated on both sides of the Atlantic. Carl studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna under professor Laufenberg. Later he would study at the academies under Carl Waschmann and Stefan Schwartz. Next, he went to Paris in 1886 to further study before he set off for the U.S. In fact, some debate still remains as to whether Kauba ever visited the U.S. Kauba’s fascination with the West was fired by the stories of the German writer, Carl May, whose tales of Western adventure were well known throughout Europe. Most authorities feel that he was about twenty-five years old when he traveled widely throughout the American West. He then returned to Austria with voluminous notes, sketches, and several models of Western sculpture...
Category

1910s Austrian Vintage Art Nouveau Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Art Nouveau Self Illuminating Female Bust Bronze Sculpture by Micael Levy
Located in Van Nuys, CA
Art Nouveau sculpture by in gilded bronze representing a young girl holding an illuminating casket with panes of marbled red glass resting on a mahogany base. Great example of Art...
Category

Early 1900s American Antique Art Nouveau Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Annibale De Lotto Large Bronze Sculpture Boy with Crab 1910 Italy Venice
Located in Palermo, Sicily
Annibale De Lotto large bronze sculpture Boy with Crab 1910 Italy Venice.
Category

1910s Italian Vintage Art Nouveau Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Early-20th Century Bronze Vase Entitled "Fée des Bois" by Charles Korschann
Located in London, GB
A very beautiful late 19th Century French Art Nouveau bronze vase decorated with two gilt bronze female figures sitting upon a tree stump. The surface of the vase with excellent detail and very fine colour, signed Korschann and with foundry mark for Louchet Paris Additional information Height: 15 cm Condition: Excellent Original Condition Circa: 1900 Materials: Bronze Foundry: Louchet Paris About Charles Korschann Biography Charles Korschann (1872-1943). Born in Brno in Moravia, he attended the Fine Arts Academies in Vienna and Berlin. Although he frequently returned to Moravia, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire but a constituent part of Czecho-Slovakia after the First World War, he spent most of his life after 1894 in Paris. He designed many small mostly Art Nouveau subjects including vases, inkwells, clocks, lamps, wall sconces, and jardinières among those with some utility, often with full figures of elegant women, nearly always with hieratic expressions or Symbolist poses. He exhibited at the Salons of the Société des Artistes Français from 1894 to 1905, and was awarded a Bronze Medal at the 1900 Exposition Universelle. He worked with gilt and patinated bronze, bronze with polychrome glazed and unglazed ceramics...
Category

Early 20th Century French Art Nouveau Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Lamp "La Bonne Soupe" by Victor Rousseau, Art Nouveau, circa 1900
Located in VÉZELAY, FR
Important patinated spelter lamp representing a young boy, probably a butcher boy, drinking his soup accompanied by his pit bull / bulldog type dog. The boy is leaning against a gallows holding an electrified green lantern. By Belgian sculptor Victor Rousseau (1865-1954). Art Nouveau / Belle Epoque style. Plate with inscription "La Bonne Soupe par Rousseau" ("The Good Soup by Rousseau") on the front, signature "Rousseau" on the side and stamp "Fabrication française...
Category

Early 1900s French Antique Art Nouveau Sculptures

Materials

Spelter, Metal

Amalric Walter Pate De Verre Nude Boy Figure
Located in Dallas, TX
Almeric Walter and Henry Mercier Pate De Verre Art Nouveau Figure of a Nude Cherub or boy seated with his hand on his head. A wonderful pâte-de-ver...
Category

Early 1900s French Antique Art Nouveau Sculptures

Materials

Art Glass

Table Lamp, 1900, Silver Plated Metal, Sign: Rouseau / Muller
Located in Ciudad Autónoma Buenos Aires, C
Table lamp "Jugendstil, Art Nouveau, Liberty" Materia: silver plated metal and art glass Country: France Glass: Muller To take care of your property and the lives of our customers, ...
Category

1920s French Vintage Art Nouveau Sculptures

Materials

Art Glass

Art Nouveau Female Bronze Figurative Bust Sculpture by Giovanni Schoeman
Located in New York, NY
An Art Nouveau female bronze figurative bust sculpture of a young woman "Ethne" by Giovanni Schoeman (1940-1980.) Piece is marked at base "ETHNE" as shown in close-up last image. Ver...
Category

Mid-20th Century European Art Nouveau Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Goebel Porcelain Hand Painted Bird Figurine of a Long Tailed Titmouse
Located in Guaynabo, PR
This is a goebel porcelain figurine of a bird. It depicts a very well done hand painted long tailed titmouse. It is standing up over an asymmetrical oval light green base. It is hall...
Category

20th Century German Art Nouveau Sculptures

Materials

Porcelain

Majolica Frog with Mandolin Delphin Massier, circa 1900
Located in Austin, TX
Art Nouveau Majolica frog who playing mandolin signed Delphin Massier circa 1900. The Massier are known for the quality of their unique enamels and paintings.
Category

Early 1900s French Antique Art Nouveau Sculptures

Materials

Ceramic, Faience, Majolica

Kpm Berlin Art Nouveau Figure "Europe on Bull" Adolf Amberg
Located in Berlin, DE
KPM Berlin Art Nouveau figure "Europe on bull" Adolf Amberg Impressive large porcelain sculpture by Adolf Amberg from the world famous wed...
Category

Early 20th Century German Art Nouveau Sculptures

Materials

Porcelain

Lady in Solid Italian Art Nouveau Marble with Column and Fountain 1910
Located in Palermo, Sicily
Lady in solid Italian Art Nouveau marble with column and fountain 1910 It has some cracks as shown in the photos
Category

1910s Italian Vintage Art Nouveau Sculptures

Materials

Marble

Art Nouveau Lamp in Bronze Signed Alexandre Clerget, 19th Century
Located in Paris, FR
Art Nouveau lamp mounted on a sculpted and chased bronze vase, signed A. Clerget. This lamp carved in relief, presents a seated woman forming a handle, a head of sylvan among vine leaves and grapes winding a spout. The shaft of this 1900 light fixture...
Category

Late 19th Century French Antique Art Nouveau Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Art Nouveau Bronze Sculpture Entitled "Cleopatra and Asp" by Schnauder
By Richard Georg Schnauder
Located in London, GB
A very fine early 20th Century gilt bronze figure of the famous Cleopatra with a snake wrapped around her wrist drinking from a bowl. Exhibiting fine colour and excellent hand fi...
Category

Early 20th Century German Art Nouveau Sculptures

Materials

Marble, Bronze

Large Jugendstil Style Hand Carved Wooden Sculpture of Mary and Child Jesus
Located in Lisse, NL
Sizable and superb condition work of religious art. This handsomely carved and all original work of religious art could hardly be in better condition. This sculpture is entirely h...
Category

Mid-20th Century European Art Nouveau Sculptures

Materials

Pine, Wood

Aqua Turquoise Majolica Turtle Clement Massier, circa 1890
Located in Austin, TX
Aqua Turquoise Majolica Turtle Clement Massier, circa 1890.
Category

1890s French Antique Art Nouveau Sculptures

Materials

Ceramic, Faience

A. De Remière, Friedrich Goldscheider Polychrome Patinated Terracotta Sculpture
Located in Tilburg, NL
A. De Remière, Friedrich Goldscheider Polychrome Patinated Terracotta Sculpture Friedrich Goldscheider: polychrome patinated terracotta sculpture ...
Category

Late 19th Century French Antique Art Nouveau Sculptures

Materials

Terracotta

Auguste Moreau Bronze Angel Putto, France, 1855-1919
Located in Rijssen, NL
Auguste Moreau bronze angel putto. Original bronze, circa 1890 by Louis Auguste Moreau, (France, 1855-1919) Depiction of a female angel with w...
Category

1890s French Antique Art Nouveau Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Italian Pair of Rooster Figures 20th Century Art Nouveau Animalier Sculptures
Located in Milan, IT
Pair of antique Italian rooster sculptures, hand-made in Italy in the early 20th century, in the Art Nouveau period, inspired to the Animalier style, ...
Category

Early 20th Century Italian Art Nouveau Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Majolica Grasshopper Jardinière Massier, Circa 1900
Located in Austin, TX
Rare Majolica Grasshopper Jardinière Massier circa 1900.
Category

Early 1900s French Antique Art Nouveau Sculptures

Materials

Ceramic

Sculpture Spirit of Spring by Friedrich Heuler 1920s
Located in Benalmadena, ES
Precious porcelain sculpture attributed to the ceramic designer and sculptor Friedrich Heuler (1889-1959) representing spring with a nymph riding on a satyr, to which she clings to i...
Category

1920s German Vintage Art Nouveau Sculptures

Materials

Porcelain

Goebel Porcelain Hand Painted Bird Figurine of Baltimore Oriole
Located in Guaynabo, PR
This is a Goebel porcelain figurine of a large bird. It depicts a very well done hand painted Baltimore Oriole. The bird is standing up over a branch...
Category

20th Century German Art Nouveau Sculptures

Materials

Porcelain

Wall-Mounted Weather Station in Art Nouveau Style Carved Walnut 1910s
By A. de Lambert
Located in Verviers, BE
Wall-mounted weather station in carved walnut made in Belgium by A. de Lambert. High quality mechanism with jeweled movement barometer and thermometer (in centigrade) Unusual design with high relief C-scrolls and flowers in Rococo style (from theArt Nouveau' period) with a lovely walnut case/. Equipment in full working order. Please don't hesitate to get in touch with any further questions.

 With best wishes, Geert 
Early Bird Gallery...
Category

1910s Belgian Vintage Art Nouveau Sculptures

Materials

Walnut

Bronze Sculpture "Big Stag After Its Moult", C. Paillet, 20th Century
Located in Paris, FR
Sculpture in bronze with brown patina representing a stag after its moult. It rests on a terrace forming a base, moved by tree stumps and stre...
Category

20th Century French Art Nouveau Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Aristede De Ranieri Signed Art Nouveau Sculptural Mantel or Table Clock
Located in Hamilton, Ontario
Thia antique mantel or table clock was made by the well known Italian born sculptor Archimede de Ranieri, who did much of his work in France and made this in approximately 1900 in th...
Category

Early 20th Century French Art Nouveau Sculptures

Materials

Metal

Erotic / Nude Women Bronze Sculpture Table Bell Push, Austria, 1900´s
Located in Buenos Aires, Olivos
Erotic / nude women bronze sculpture table bell push - Austria 1900´s Talk about hard to find items! This impossible to believe bell push is the only erotic bell push we have ever s...
Category

Early 20th Century Austrian Art Nouveau Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Bronze Figurine Sculpture of Blindfolded Girl signed, Italian 19th C
Located in Lincoln, Lincolnshire
This is a solid bronze figurine of a young Girl with a blindfold playing Hide and Seek, which we attribute to the Italian sculptor Giuseppe Ferrari ( ...
Category

19th Century Italian Antique Art Nouveau Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Bronze Sculpture "Nymph in the Reeds" by Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse
Located in Ciudad Autónoma Buenos Aires, C
Very finely chiselled cast bronze sculpture depicting a beautiful nude nymph standing emerging from tall reeds at the edge of a stream. At her feet is a water jug, with a marble base...
Category

1880s French Antique Art Nouveau Sculptures

Materials

Marble, Bronze

Porcelain Figurine "Golden Pheasant" by F. Karl Ens, Germany circa 1920
Located in Lichtenberg, AT
Lovely hand-painted golden pheasant porcelain figurine from the famous company of F. Karl Ens around 1920. Artfully crafted by one of the old manufactories for porcelain in Germany (...
Category

Early 20th Century German Art Nouveau Sculptures

Materials

Porcelain

19th Century Animalier French Bronze Entitled "Taureau Debout" by Rosa Bonheur
By Rosa Bonheur
Located in London, GB
"Taureau Debout" by Rosa Bonheur. An excellent late 19th Century French animalier bronze study of a standing bull with fine hand chased surface that accentuates the muscle definition of the subject, signed Rosa B. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Measures: Width: 32 cm Height: 18 cm Depth: 11cm Condition: Excellent Original Condition Circa: 1870 Materials: Bronze Book reference: Animals in Bronze by Christopher Payne Page no. 174 DESCRIPTION Bonheur, Rosa (1822-1899) The most popular artist of nineteenth-century France, Rosa Bonheur was also one of the first renowned painters of animals and the first woman awarded the Grand Cross by the French Legion of Honor. A professional artist with a successful career, Bonheur lived in two consecutive committed relationships with women. Born on March 16, 1822 in Bordeaux, Marie Rosalie Bonheur was the oldest of the four children of Raimond Oscar Bonheur (1796-1849) and Sophie Marquis. Bonheur's father was an art teacher who came from a poor family, while her mother, a musician, had descended from a middle-class family and had been her husband's art student. Bonheur's father, who taught drawing and landscape painting, was an ardent member of the utopian Saint Simeon society. The group held idealistic beliefs about the reform of work, property, marriage, and the role of women in society. Most importantly, for the artist's future, the Saint Simeons questioned traditional gender norms and firmly believed in the equality of women. While teaching artistic techniques to his oldest daughter, Raimond Bonheur also encouraged her independence and taught her to consider art as a career. In 1828 Raimond Bonheur joined the Saint Simeons at their retreat outside Paris. Sophie and the children joined him in Paris the following year. Four years later, however, Raimond abandoned his family to live in isolation with his fellow Saint Simeons. Sophie Bonheur died in 1833 at the age of thirty-six. Rosa was only eleven years old when her mother died, but she was aware of the heavy price her mother paid for married life with a man who was more dedicated to his own ideals than to meeting his family's needs. Rosa also saw that her mother's marriage led to poverty and her death from exhaustion. After her mother's death, Bonheur was taken in by the Micas family who resided nearby. Mme Micas and Bonheur's mother had been friends. When Mme Bonheur died, the Micas family paid Raimond Bonheur's debts and cared for Rosa. Their daughther, Nathalie, who would later become an amateur inventor and unschooled veterinarian, and Rosa became enamored with each other. When Rosa Bonheur began her career as a professional artist, she had already been trained by her father who had allowed her to study in all male classes. Rosa also learned by sketching masterworks at the Louvre from the age of fourteen, and later, by studying with Léon Cogniet. From the very beginning, Bonheur's favorite subject was animals. She learned their anatomy completely by dissecting them in local slaughterhouses. She also visited the horse market two times a week. Study of animals by direct observation led to the formation of the realist style in which Bonheur worked. It was for such work that Bonheur obtained written permission from the French government to wear men's slacks. Her working attire also consisted of a loose smock and heavy boots that protected her feet from the dangerous environment in which she painted. The style of dress that the artist adopted for work and home may well have been influenced by her father's attire, which was based on St. Simeonian clothing experiments. Bonheur also cropped her hair, perhaps to facilitate her work. She did, however, always wear dresses for social occasions because she knew that appropriate dress would further her career. Bonheur earned a successful living as a painter of animals. She exhibited at the annual Paris Salon regularly from the age of nineteen in 1841 through 1853, when she was thirty-one. She won the salon's gold medal at the age of twenty-six in 1848 and was commissioned by the French government to paint Plowing on the Nivernais in 1849. In the same year Bonheur and her sister Juliette became directors of l'École gratuite de dessin pour les jeunes filles, a post their father had once held. Bonheur completed her most renowned work, The Horse Fair, in 1855. The successful representation of percherons (a breed native to Normandy) was purchased by Ernest Gambart, a London art dealer whose gallery specialized in work by French artists. He exhibited The Horse Fair in London where Bonheur visited with Nathalie. Queen Victoria requested a private viewing of the painting at Windsor Castle. It would later be purchased in 1887 by Cornelius Vanderbilt and donated to the new Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Bonheur's trip to England allowed her to meet Charles Eastlake, then President of the Royal Academy, John Ruskin, the English writer and critic, and Edwin Landseer, the British animalier. She also toured the English and Scottish countrysides and executed some paintings based on her observations of new breeds of animals found there. Gambart made engravings of Bonheur's work, including The Horse Fair, and sold them in England, Europe, and the United States. Bonheur became one of the most renowned painters of the time. Little girls, such as Anna Klumpke in the United States, even had dolls in her likeness, much as American girls played with Shirley Temple dolls...
Category

19th Century French Antique Art Nouveau Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Confidence, Calamine. France, circa 1900, After Grisard, Désiré '1872-¿'
Located in Madrid, ES
"Confidence". calamine. France, around 1900, following Grisard, Désiré (1872-¿). With manufacturing stamp, titled and engraved name. Calamine figure patinated in various shades t...
Category

Early 20th Century French Art Nouveau Sculptures

Materials

Other

Art Nouveau bust of Woman Circa 1900
Located in Beuzevillette, FR
Stunning and appealing Art Nouveau bust of a woman made of polychromed and enamelled white clay. This singular bust of a woman with unique face traits could be of an Italian woman, m...
Category

1930s European Vintage Art Nouveau Sculptures

Materials

Ceramic

Late 19th Century Art Nouveau Bust Entitled "Cendrillon" by Emmanuel Villanis
Located in London, GB
An attractive late 19th Century Art Nouveau French bronze bust exhibiting deep multi-hued patination and excellent detail. The beautiful character wearing a head dress and a loosely draped blouse representing ’Cinderella’ from the famous French opera. The bronze is signed E Villanis and titled to the fore on its integral bronze base. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Height: 30 cm Width: 19 cm Depth: 12 cm Condition: excellent original condition Circa: 1890 Materials: Bronze Book Ref: Emmanuel Villanis by Josje Hortulanus-de Mik Page No: 35 SKU: 8773 ABOUT Villanis Cendrillon Emmanuel Villanis was an industrious man. He is believed to have created some 200 to 250 pieces. His oeuvre pre-eminently consisted of busts and full body statues...
Category

19th Century French Antique Art Nouveau Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Perfume Lamp Attributed to Carl Scheidig/Gräfenthal, Germany, 1930s
Located in Verviers, BE
Perfume lamp in the form of a squirrel attributed to Carl Scheidig Grafenthal, Germany. Made from glazed porcelain. Electrical parts European standards with an inner light bulb (standard E 14) to give a warm and comforting night light. The light also shines through the glass eyes. The squirrel was a much-loved motif of the Art Deco period, and these friendly squirrel figurines...
Category

1930s German Vintage Art Nouveau Sculptures

Materials

Ceramic

Majolica Swan Jardiniere Jerome Massier Fils, circa 1910
Located in Austin, TX
Majolica white swan jardiniere signed Jerome Massier Fils Vallauris, circa 1910.
Category

Early 1900s French Antique Art Nouveau Sculptures

Materials

Majolica

Original and Unique Ceramic Fountain by Otto Prutscher and Michael Powolny, 1914
Located in Vienna, AT
Executed by Michael Powolny for the Wienerberger Keramikwerkstätten, ceramic and stoneware, ochre colored, body holding a dish in her outstretched arms standing above a three-tired Cascade of basins with fluted decoration. One image shows the model of the fountain in the studio of the "Gebrueder Schwadron" in Vienna, circa 1910-1914. Literature: Karl Maria Grimme, Gärten von Albert Esch, Wien, Leipzig 1931 p.29. Elisabeth Frottier, Michael Powolny, Keramik und Glas aus Wien 1900...
Category

Early 20th Century Austrian Art Nouveau Sculptures

Materials

Ceramic, Stoneware

Late 19th Century Bronze Entitled 'La Verité Meconnue' by Aime-Jules Dalou
Located in London, GB
An enigmatic late 19th Century bronze study of a seated female nude leaning on her knees, hiding her face, on integral naturalistic canted rectangular base, signed to one side DALOU above the cracked mirror (facing to the rear), the opposing side marked Susse Fres Edts the rear with Susse Freres pastille flanked by the letters H P and S. The title of this subject translates as 'The Truth Revealed' and refers to the young woman inconsolable having seen her true reflection in a mirror, which she has dropped and lies broken on the hard floor. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Height: 14 cm Width: 12 cm Depth: 8 cm Condition: Excellent Original Condition Circa: 1890 Foundry: Susse Frères Paris Materials: Bronze SKU: 8790 ABOUT Aimé-Jules Dalou...
Category

19th Century French Antique Art Nouveau Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Pair of French Art Nouveau Patinated Spelter Sculptures
By George Maxim, Auguste Moreau
Located in London, GB
Pair of French Art Nouveau patinated spelter sculptures French, early 20th century Measures: Figure with lyre: Height 92cm, width 48cm, depth 38cm Other figure: Height 90cm, width 52cm, depth 33cm The spelter works in this pair are after two of the leading Art Nouveau period sculptors: George Maxim and Auguste Moreau. The sculptures portray young women in animated, dance-like postures, wearing flowing dress that recalls Greek wet drapery. One figure holds a musical instrument, while the other spreads her arms as if to music. The figures stand on integral rocky bases above matching marble plinths. Each piece is affixed with a plaque, one reading ‘Libellule par Geo Maxim...
Category

Early 20th Century French Art Nouveau Sculptures

Materials

Spelter

Art Nouveau Bronze Sculpture Nude Snake Charmer, Germany Ca. 1900
Located in Antwerp, BE
Art Nouveau bronze sculpture nude snake charmer, Germany ca. 1900. Bronze sculpture with silver and brown patina on a Portor marble base. This bronze is...
Category

20th Century German Art Nouveau Sculptures

Materials

Marble, Bronze

Art Nouveau Bronze Sculptural Tray Indoor Fountain with Nude by Suzanne Bizard
Located in Antwerp, BE
Art Nouveau bronze sculptural tray indoor fountain with seated nude holding a vase signed by Suzanne Bizard. Patinated bronze on impressive marble tr...
Category

Early 1900s French Antique Art Nouveau Sculptures

Materials

Marble, Bronze

Dog Perfume Lamp / Air Purifier /Carl Scheidig Gräfenthal, Germany, circa 1930s
Located in Verviers, BE
Rare and gorgeous dog perfume lamp attributed to Carl Scheidig Grafenthal, Germany. Excellent condition, lamp is in working order. Size: Height 17 c...
Category

1930s German Vintage Art Nouveau Sculptures

Materials

Ceramic

"Triumphant Man, " Spectacular Gilded Bronze Trophy Cup w/ Male Nude, Christofle
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Large and spectacular, this gilded bronze trophy cup in the Art Nouveau style was sculpted by Eugène Bourgouin for Christofle, and is richly decorated wi...
Category

Early 1900s French Antique Art Nouveau Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Art Nouveau Ceramic Figurines Rstk Amphora Austria Turn Teplitz
Located in Wommelgem, VAN
Art Nouveau ceramic figurines Rstk Amphora Austria Turn Teplitz - a pair Attributed to Riessner, Stellmacher and Kessel for Amphora, Turn Teplitz Austria...
Category

19th Century Austrian Antique Art Nouveau Sculptures

Materials

Ceramic, Porcelain

Maurice Bouval Bronze Art Nouveau
Located in NANTES, FR
Maurice Bouval bronze with gilded patina signed M.Bouval and stamp of founder on a marble base portor. Length: base 11 cm Depth: 9,6 cm Height: 30,...
Category

Early 20th Century French Art Nouveau Sculptures

Materials

Marble, Bronze

Early 20th Century Czech Royal Dux Bohemian Carved Porcelain Woman Sculpture
Located in Dallas, TX
Crafted in the Czech Republic circa 1930, the Art Deco sculpture features a woman statue sited on the edge of a basin and filling up her water jug. The carved dish composition is in excellent condition, with a rich patinated finish, and stamped on the bottom Royal Dux. Place this decorative porcelain dish on your entry commode...
Category

Early 20th Century Czech Art Nouveau Sculptures

Materials

Porcelain

French Antique Gilt Bronze and Nacre Trinket Dish, 19th Century
Located in Miami, FL
Intricate French gilt bronze work depicting lovebirds sharing a worm above a pearl egg nest upon a tree, while a cobra nestles at the tree base. The work is ...
Category

19th Century Antique Art Nouveau Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

"Chinoise” Sculpture by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney
Located in New York, NY
"Chinoise” Sculpture by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney. This sculpture, a self portrait which stylistically mixes Art Nouveau and orientalism, is among her earliest successes. This piec...
Category

Early 20th Century American Art Nouveau Sculptures

Materials

Plaster

Antique French Montagutelli Frères Lost Wax Cast Bronze Hand Sculpture, Hudnut
Located in London, GB
For sale a magnificent early 20th Century gilt bronze sculpture, cast using the Lost Wax (in French, 'Cire Perdue') process. This fine sculpture is a cast of Richard Alexander Hudnut's hand and was produced by the renowned Montagutelli Frères foundry in Paris in 1912. The sculpture is in very good vintage condition, signed "Richard Alexander Hudnut 1912" and carries the oval "Montagutelli Freres Paris Cire Perdue" foundry stamp to the underside. Richard Alexander Hudnut (1856-1928) was an American businessman recognised as being the first American to achieve international success in cosmetics manufacturing. After graduating from Princeton University, he toured France and returned with the idea of introducing French-style perfumes and cosmetics to American women. The Richard Hudnut company once maintained separate US and European headquarters on Fifth Avenue in New York City and on the Rue de la Paix in Paris, respectively. Although his fortune had been built around cosmetics and beauty products...
Category

Early 20th Century French Art Nouveau Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Emmanuel Villdnis, ‘Nelly’, French Art Nouveau Patinated Bronze Bust, ca. 1890
By Emmanuel Villdnis
Located in New York, NY
DETAILS Signed and foundry mark on back. DIMENSIONS Height: 4-15/16 inches Width: 2-5/16 inches Depth: 2.25 inches ABOUT THE SCULPTURE This portrait bust is of Nelly Faner, famous burlesque dancer at the turn of the XX Century Paris. ABOUT THE SCULPTORE Emmanuel Villdnis (French, 1858 – 1914) was born to Italian parents in France, in 1858. He moved with the family to Piedmont, Italy, in March 1861; after the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy. Known in Italy as Villani, he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts Albertina in Turin from 1871 to 1880 alongside master-sculptor Odoardo Tabacchi. When Villanis graduated, he exhibited his first works in cities across Italy, notably his bust ‘Alda’ in Milan, in 1881. Villanis returned to France in 1885, living and working in the Montmartre district of Paris and didn’t leave Montmartre until his death on August 28th 1914. Villanis specialised in female bronze busts...
Category

1890s French Antique Art Nouveau Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Sculpture “Bust of a Lady”
Located in Mönchengladbach, NW
Fine work of good expressive power. Spectacular Wall Sculpture “Bust of a Lady” made of white marble is from France, Europe. Art Nouveau approx. 1900-1...
Category

Early 20th Century French Art Nouveau Sculptures

Materials

Marble

Majolica White Swan Jardinière Jerome Massier, circa 1890
Located in Austin, TX
Small Majolica white swan jardinière signed Jerome Massier Vallauris, circa 1890.
Category

1890s French Antique Art Nouveau Sculptures

Materials

Ceramic, Majolica

Art Nouveau Bronze Sculpture Dancing Nude Couple La Danse by Charles Samuel
Located in Antwerp, BE
Art Nouveau bronze sculpture dancing nude couple, La Danse by Charles Samuel. Patinated bronze on a marble base. Belgium ca. 1900. This bronze is illustrated in: Beeldhouwkuns...
Category

Early 1900s Belgian Antique Art Nouveau Sculptures

Materials

Marble, Bronze

Art Nouveau sculptures for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a broad range of unique Art Nouveau sculptures for sale on 1stDibs. Many of these items were first offered in the 21st Century and Contemporary, but contemporary artisans have continued to produce works inspired by this style. If you’re looking to add vintage sculptures created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include decorative objects, serveware, ceramics, silver and glass, lighting and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with metal, bronze and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Art Nouveau sculptures made in a specific country, there are Europe, France, and Austria pieces for sale on 1stDibs. While there are many designers and brands associated with original sculptures, popular names associated with this style include Franz Bergmann, Meissen Porcelain, Emmanuel Villanis, and Goebel Company. It’s true that these talented designers have at times inspired knockoffs, but our experienced specialists have partnered with only top vetted sellers to offer authentic pieces that come with a buyer protection guarantee. Prices for sculptures differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $25 and tops out at $185,000 while the average work can sell for $2,802.

Recently Viewed

View All