Mathurin Moreau

This sensitively carved marble encapsulates the romantic and decorative style of Mathurin Moreau, which combines academic classicism with the influence of naturalism. The graceful female figure balancing on the edge of the fountain conveys a sense of lightness and dynamism, her form seemingly merging with the water that flows from it.

Born in Dijon as the eldest son of a distinguished and prolific family of artists, Moreau studied under his father, Jean-Baptiste, before entering the Ecole des Beaux-Arts under Etienne-Jules Ramey and Alexandre Dumont. He won the second Prix de Rome in 1842 and received numerous other honors and awards throughout his life, such as the gold medal at the 1889 Exposition Universelle and the ‘Hors Concours’ at the Exposition Universelle in 1900. Mathurin also worked on prestigious public monuments, and his work is represented in several museums.

The Moreau family had contracts with major French foundries, which allowed them to cast a large number of bronzes. By contrast, major works by the family of sculptors in Carrara marble are comparatively rare. Another version of this model, with only one bird, was sold in these rooms on 23 November 1990, lot 268 (£34,100).