A Large Pair of Bronze, Frosted Glass and Rouge Griotte Marble Torchères
Cast from a model by Auguste Moreau, circa 1880
Each inscribed Aug Moreau
Each torchère: 45 ½ in (150.6 cm) high
Each torchère: 45 ½ in (150.6 cm) high
Born in Dijon, Auguste Moreau (1834-1917) was the youngest of three celebrated French sculptors. He and his brothers Mathurin and Hyppolyte-François, studied under their father Jean-Baptiste. Auguste Moreau worked as a sculptor and specialised in figures, statuettes and groups, mainly in marble. He made his debut at the 1861 Salon in Paris and continued to play an active part in the Salon des Artistes Français as a member of the Société des Artistes Français until 1910. His own sons, Louis-Auguste and Hyppolyte, and one of his grandsons went on to become sculptors, continuing the dynastic tradition.
The Moreaus all shared a similar taste in subject and style, making some pieces signed without first initials hard to attribute. They favoured genre, pastoral, and allegorical scenes, all produced in a realistic manner, but with idealised gracefulness. The putti in these torchères are familiar from Moreau's many cupid figures. He won a gold medal for one such bronze cupid figure at the Paris Exposition in 1900. With his brother Mathurin, Auguste Moreau continued producing work into the 20th century, steadfastly maintaining this 19th-century style and avoiding the influence of the more avante garde bronzeurs working in the new Art Deco style. Works by Auguste Moreau may be found in the Musées des Beaux-Arts, Bordeaux, Dijon (one of his cupids is in the collection here), Gray and Reims.
The Moreaus all shared a similar taste in subject and style, making some pieces signed without first initials hard to attribute. They favoured genre, pastoral, and allegorical scenes, all produced in a realistic manner, but with idealised gracefulness. The putti in these torchères are familiar from Moreau's many cupid figures. He won a gold medal for one such bronze cupid figure at the Paris Exposition in 1900. With his brother Mathurin, Auguste Moreau continued producing work into the 20th century, steadfastly maintaining this 19th-century style and avoiding the influence of the more avante garde bronzeurs working in the new Art Deco style. Works by Auguste Moreau may be found in the Musées des Beaux-Arts, Bordeaux, Dijon (one of his cupids is in the collection here), Gray and Reims.
