Auguste-Louis-Mathurin Moreau French, 1834-1917

The Moreau dynasty were among the 19^th century’s most prolific sculptors. Its founder, Jean-Baptiste-Louis-Joseph Moreau (1797-1855) was a painter and sculptor based in Dijon, best known for the restoration work he did on the pleurants  of the tombs of the Dukes of Bourgogne. His three sons, Mathurin (1822-1912), Hippolyte (1832-1927) and Auguste-Louis-Mathurin Moreau (1834-1917) all became sculptors in their own right, renowned for their elegant and graceful genre scenes and allegories.

Auguste-Louis-Mathurin Moreau, as the youngest son, trained for a while in his father’s workshop in Dijon. He first exhibited at the Paris Salon in 1861, and continued showing his work there until 1913. His relation to his brothers Hippolyte and Mathurin is clearly visible in his realistic and graceful style. Auguste’s son, Louis-Auguste Moreau (1855-1919) also made sculpture his profession, and was taught by his father and his uncle Mathurin, making his debut at the Salon in 1877.

The Infant Psyche’s Kiss was first exhibited at the Salon in 1880. As a very popular subject at the time, bronze versions were cast after the marble, which have appeared on the art market several times, including at Sotheby’s London, 19 April 2000, Lot 111. The sale of Psyche’s Kiss provides the opportunity to acquire the much rarer marble version of this sculpture. The white marble of this statuette conveys a sense of purity, which adds to the charm and innocence of this beautiful sculpture.

RELATED LITERATURE

P. Kjellberg, Bronzes of the 19th Century. Dictionary of Sculptors, Atglen, 1994, pp. 505-508