Joseph Bernard

Madame Léonie Bernard, widow of the artist
Alexandre Berger, Paris, acquired from above, 1936
Charles Janoray, New York
Acquired from the above by the present owner, 2002

Ruhlmann: Genius of Art Deco/Art Deco Paris, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, June 8-September 5, 2004, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, September 30-December 12, 2004

Gabriel Mourey, "Exposition des oeuvres de Joseph Bernard à l'Hôtel de la Revue," Les Arts, no. 52, August 1914, p. 20 (for the plaster)
André Fontainas and Louis Vauxcelles, Histoire Générale de l'Art Français de la Révolution à nos jours, T. II, Paris, 1922, p. 293 (for the model executed in stone)
René Jullian, Jean Bernard, Lucien Stoenesco and Pascale Grémont Gervaise, Joseph Bernard, Fondation de Coubertin, Saint-Rémy-lès-Chevreuse, 1989, p. 310 
Emmanuel Bréon and Rosalind Pepall, Ruhlmann: Genius of Art Deco, Paris, 2004, p. 16, 132 (for the larger model executed in stone), 50, 138 (for the present model), p. 296, cat. 69 (for the present lot illustrated)
Alain Lesieutre, The Spirit and Splendor of Art Deco, New York, 1974, pl. 97 (for the present model)
Florence Camard, Ruhlmann:  Master of Art Deco, New York, 1983, p. 91 (for the present model)
Ruhlmann: un génie de l'Art déco, exh. cat., Musée des Années 30, Paris, 2001, p. 126
Charles Janoray and Jean-Loup Champion, Classical Modernity From Bourdelle to Despiau 1907-1937, New York, 2002, pp. 26-29 (for the present lot illustrated)
Pierre Kjellberg, Les Bronzes du XIXe siècle, Dictionnaire des Sculpteurs, Paris, 2005, p. 93 (for the present model)

Overall in good condition. The surfaces with a few minor surface irregularities inherent in the making. The surfaces with a few minor surface scratches consistent with age and gentle use. The top part of the jug, including the handle and the edge and side of the coupe have been sensitively restored at some point in the history of the piece. A highly decorative group.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Sotheby's would like to thank the Fondation de Coubertin for their assistance with the cataloguing of this lot. 


Joseph Bernard’s Femme à la Toilette has become an iconic sculpture for the quintessential, sophisticated French Art Deco interior. The model was presented in Ruhlmann’s Salon du Collectionneur in Paris in 1925, along with the spectacular bas relief La Danse, which ornamented the building’s façade, and other works by Bernard. The Salon du Collectionneur was intended to demonstrate the highest quality of French refinements and taste in French art and decorative art. Its success gave its name to French Art Deco. Jeune Fille à sa Toilette was then exhibited in 1926 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

The Pavillon du Collectionneur was the culmination of the close friendship between Ruhlmann and Bernard: in 1920, Bernard asked Ruhlmann to design the interior of his house in Boulogne Billancourt, and in 1921, he gave him a bronze version of his Jeune Fille à sa Toilette. Ruhlmann even designed a custom pedestal for the sculpture.

The present lot demonstrates Bernard’s unique talent to combine expressiveness and grace. In his sculpture, Bernard manages to unite values of sensibility and decoration. The young girl’s posture conveys both a quiet serenity and sense of movement, evidenced by the dynamic curvature of the drapery and position of her arm. The exquisite modelling of the form is reminiscent of Rodin. Joseph Bernard’s art developed during a particularly rich and active artistic period, but the sculptor’s singularity lies in the combination of simplicity and elegance. Like Ruhlmann in decorative art, Bernard believed in the fundamental importance of lines and volumes conceived as a harmonious ensemble: “It is essential in sculpture to create abstraction from detail—not to ignore detail, but to test it enough to be able to subject it to absolutely directive lines, just as a symphony success as an ensemble in feeling the entire range of sensibilities.”