Deux Perruches Inseparables, A Bronze and Patinated Gilt Sculpture
By Georges Gardet, circa 1900
Modelled to depict two parrots perched on a tree branch, signed G. GARDET and inscribed F. BARBEDIENNE. FONDEUR, inscribed on the underside 43 and U, with a further illegible inscription in pen
9 ½ in (24 cm) high
cf. Paul Vitry, Art et Décoration, January-June 1905, p.69
Marc Bascou et al, Musée d’Orsay: Catalogue sommaire illustré des arts décoratifs, 1988
Born in Paris in 1863, Georges Gardet was trained from an early age by his father, Joseph Gardet, and Aime Millet. He was influenced by the works of Emmanuel Fremiet whom Gardet studied under at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts. Large game animals fascinated Gardet and this is reflected in his detailed treatment of these subjects. Nor was his interest limited to wild animals, for he created a number of smaller works of domestic animals and even fulfilled a few private commissions of pets.
Gardet began to exhibit at the Salon des Artistes Français in 1883 at the age of 20, and continued exhibiting throughout his career, culminating in the Grand Prix at the 1900 Exposition Universelle in Paris.
Another version of this model, carved in onyx, is in the collection of the Musée d’Orsay. It was exhibited at the Paris Salon in 1895.
