Small-Scale Sculptures. The XX century. Origins.
Luxury and Chic of Art Deco. Chryselephantine Technique.

Рart Two

The French sculptor Pierre le Faguays (1892-1962) stood out for bright and original creativity.

Lady and Satyr, bookends. Pierre le Faguays. Bronze, marble.

During the World War I, Pierre le Faguays studied at the school of fine arts, in Geneva, in the Studio of the sculptor James Vibert. At school, he met with the future famous sculptors Marcel Andre Bouraine and Louis Octave Maxime Le Verrier. Friendship will last until the end of their lives and will give the art many unsurpassed masterpieces.

Dancing Harlequin, lamp. Marcel-André Bouraine, Pierre le Faguays. Total height: 54.8 cm
Bronze (cold-painted, silver-plated), ivory, marble (pedestal)

In this sculpture, the masters turn to another popular theme of Art Deco, the characters of the Commedia Dell'arte. The image of harlequin perfectly suited for the sculpture of small forms, firstly, due to the decorative effect of his costume, and secondly, because it involves a wide range of different poses, dynamic and interesting in silhouette. Masks of Commedia Dell'arte originated in Italy in the XVI century, and enjoyed their popularity in European culture, particularly in France, just at the late XIX - early XX century. Commedia Dell'arte masks owe this success to Russian Seasons to a large extent, to the Carnival ballet in particular, which in turn inspired Pablo Picasso to create his Harlequin series. Moreover, through the Great Spaniard, images of Italian masks have penetrated into the work of many artists, including those working in the style of Art Deco.

España. Lamp. Bronze, marble.
Pierre le Faguays and Louis Octave Maxime Le Verrier, 1925. The height is 52 cm.

Pierre le Faguays shows his first works at the exhibition in the Salon of the Société des Artistes Français in 1922. His style is close to the style of Demétre Chiparus.

Baquesa. Pierre le Faguays.

Dancer with a Thyrsus. Pierre le Faguays

Pierre le Faguays worked a lot and fruitfully, by creating models not only for various kinds of figurines, but also designs of table lamps, lamps and a variety of decorative items for foundries of Susse Frères, Edmond Etling, Max Le Verrier, Les Neveux de Jules Lehmann, Arthur Goldscheider.

Advertising for Les Neveux de Jules Lehmann, circa 1930.
In a picture: Antinea, Maurice Guiraud-Rivière.

Business card of Arthur Goldsheider. 1930.

Reclining Lady and Gazelle. Pierre le Faguays.

Pierre le Faguays has often created his works using the aliases of Guerbe and Fayrel (his mother's and wife's names).

Bookends. Pierre le Faguays. Bronze.

The works by Pierre le Faguays were constantly presented in the Arthur Goldscheider's pavilion, at the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts, in two groups: La Stèle (modern sculpture) and L'Evolution (styling).

Thinker. Pierre le Faguays. Terracotta. 1930.

Horsewoman. Pierre le Faguays. Ivory, bronze, cold staining. Height: 37.5 cm

The composition is interesting for the use of geometric lines as a visual means, a typical sign of Art Deco design.

Nude.
Pierre le Faguays. 73×16×45 cm

After World War II, Pierre le Faguays devoted himself to painting entirely. He painted pictures at the Рlace du Tertre, in the "heart" of Montmartre.

Aristocrats. Otto Perzel. Ivory, bronze, cold staining, onyx. The height – 40.3 cm.
Russian Greyhound – a living attribute of aristocracy – came into fashion with immigrants from Russia.

Refined and elegant, incredibly luxurious and dynamic images can be seen in the works of German sculptors Hermann Hugo Otto Poertzel and Otto Hoffmann or ironic ones in the Roland Paris’ creations, which can rightly be considered as examples of the expressive potential of chryselephantine technology.

Pierrot. Otto Hoffman. 1915. Height – 33 cm.
The photo by: Oscar H. Gonzales Hernandez. Museum of Art Nouveau and Art Deco in Casa Lis.

Knife Dancer. Otto Hoffmann.
The photo by: Oscar H. Gonzales Hernandez. Museum of Art Nouveau and Art Deco in Casa Lis.

Jesters. Bookends Roland Paris. Bronze, ivory and marble. The height – 17 cm. 1930.
Photo: Oscar H. Gonzales Hernandez. Museum of Art Nouveau and Art Deco in Casa Lis.

The works by Spanish sculptor Enrique Molins-Ballesté distinguish themselves through innovation and meticulous attention to the detail. Enrique was born in Barcelona and then moved to Paris. He worked and created in France mainly. He signed his works as Molins or Ballesté and as Bal sometimes.

The Lady with the Dog. Enrique Molins-Ballesté 1924. 42.5 cm x 26.5 cm x 15 cm.

The uniqueness of the works by Enrique Molins-Ballesté is that many sculptures were created using the wood as the main material.

A Dancer in Bird Costume. Enrique Molins-Ballesté.
The height – 42 cm. 1928.

Precious sculptures made by artisans of Lobortas, can be considered as masterpieces of the jeweler's art, which through a combination of all kinds of aesthetic concepts and images, use of the materials and design solutions, which has never been used in small-scale sculpture before, possess great artistic value and remain valid beyond time. The unusual design and unexpected combinations of materials certainly win even the most demanding connoisseur of originality.

«Athena». Seal. Lobortas House