Ref. 1941

A.-E. Carrier-Belleuse            

Sculptor (1824-1887)

H. Journet et C^ie

Société des Onyx

The « Nymphs » Bowl

Signed Carrier et H Journet et Cie, 24 bd des Italiens, Sté des Onyx and numbered 2326

France
Circa 1878

Gilded and silvered bronze, Onyx

Height : 86 cm (33,8 in.) ; Diameter base : 44 cm (17,3 in.)

Important and rare circular bowl in Algerian ribboned onyx. It is supported by a trunk surrounded by two silvered bronze nymphs dressed in antique drapery.
It rests on a molded onyx base ending in four gilded bronze claws springing from winged lion heads.

related work

This bowl, made by H. Journet et Cie after a model by A.-E. Carrier-Belleuse, is a variant of the model presented by Alphonse Pallu et Cie and Albert Carrier-Belleuse at the Universal Exhibition of 1862, now preserved at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London (Inv. 9070-1863).

biography

Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse (1824-1887), nick-named the « Clodion of the 19^th century » ; was a very prolific sculptor, treating his decorative objects and his portraits with equal naturalistic rigor, full of charm and life. He entered the Paris Fine-Arts school in 1840, where he studied sculpture under David d’Angers. From the early 1860’s, he won success with his sculptures presented at the French Artists Salon and particularly during the 1867 Salon, where he was awarded a « médaille d’honneur » and the « Légion d’honneur » for his Messiah.

The « new » Paris redesigned by the Baron Haussmann during Napoleon III^rd’s reign, commissioned many of Carriere-Belleuse’s masterpieces : at the Louvre palace with the high-relief « L’Abondance » on the Flore Pavilion (1865), or the sumptuous decoration made for the most famous Parisian palace on the Champs-Elysées Avenue, owned by the Marchioness of Païva. But it is especially with the torcheres-statues of the large staircase of the Paris Opera house (1873), recently built by Charles Garnier, that Carrier-Belleuse meets a huge success with the Parisian public. In the catalogue of the 1878 Universal Exhibition an art critic praised Carrier-Belleuse and added: « Even the English come from London to ask him to work for them ». His busts, nudes, group compositions as well as his candelabras, vases and clocks, all chased remarkably, had a considerable success during the Second Empire.

La Compagnie des Marbres Onyx d’Algérie, created by Alphonse Pallu (1808-1880) on june 14th, 1858 refers to the exploitation of onyx, known since antiquity but rediscovered in 1849 in Oran Province, Algeria, by Del Monte, a marble worker. It opened in 1863 a shop on Boulevard des Italiens N.24, in Paris. In the mid 1860’s, the name of the company changed to “G. Viot & Cie” and produced, after models created by the most well-known sculptors, such as Eugène Cornu, Albert Carrier-Belleuse (1824-1887) (Victoria & Albert Museum, Inv. 9070-1863), Charles Cordier (1827-1905) (Orsay, Inv. RF 2996) ou Louis-Ernest Barrias (1841-1905) (Orsay, Inv. RF 1409), luxurious furniture and art objects, incorporating onyx marble and bronze, with sometimes enamel, a combination then considered as a novelty and become quickly highly prized among wealthy collectors. They showed together on their booth at the 1867 Universal Exhibition held in Paris a fine pair of onyx, bronze and enamel vases and their stands with elephants figures (signed « G. Viot et Cie, Exposition de 1867, Eugène Cornu Inventeur » ; Catalogue Officiel de l’Exposition, groupe III, classe XIV, « meubles de luxe », n°65) for which they won the Gold Medal (Rapports du Jury International, Exposition Universelle de 1867 à Paris, 1868, t. III, groupe III, classe XV, chapitre II, § 2, p°45 & 46). Around 1873, Eugène Cornu became director of the Company and replaced G. Viot, which took then the name of « Société des Onyx d’Algérie E. Cornu et Cie ». Around 1878, the company was then headed to H. Journet from which it took his name. That firm remained opened until the beginning of the 20th century.

bibliography

LE ARTI DECORATIVE ALLE GRANDI ESPOSIZIONI UNIVERSALI 1851-1900, D. Alcouffe, M. Bascou, A. Dion-Tenenbaum, P. Thiébaut, Idealibri, Milano, 1988, p. 108