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Splendid Statuary Carrara marble statue representing « Armida's dream » by Amand-Désiré-Honoré Barré, World's Fair of 1878

This sumptuous monumental statue was made by the French sculptor Amand-Désiré-Honoré Barré in Statuary Carrara marble to be exhibited at the Salon of 1875 in Paris. In 1878, this statue was selected to represent French sculpture at the Universal Exhibition. This sculpture represents Armida's dream, an episode inspired by the epic poem written by Torquato Tasso, a 16th-century Italian poet, entitled Jerusalem Delivered. This poem is a fictional narrative of the first Crusade (1096 - 1099) which narrates in particular the story of Armida, an enchanting young Saracen, daughter of the King of Damascus, and Rinaldo, a young Christian knight. The sculptor signs discreetly under the shield: "am. Barré". Amand-Désiré-Honoré Barré, a sculptor born in the Orne region in France and a student of Victor-Edmond Leharivel-Durocher, was active in Paris in the 1860s and 1870s. At the Salon of 1873 taking place at the Palais des Champs-Elysées in Paris, Amand Barré exposes, at no. 1507, a plaster of a statue called Le Rêve d'Armide. For the same year, the french National Archives keeps a document concerning an application for a marble block or a workshop, which is probably done since the marble statue of Armida's dream is exhibited at the Salon of 1875. The book Les Beaux-Arts à l’Exposition Universelle de 1878 written by Duval mentions "No. 1082, Armida’s dream, voluptuous study largely treated by Mr. Barré". An old photograph of the Fine Arts Gallery of the 1878 Universal Exhibition that we were able to find reveals a large part of this sculpture in the Trocadero Palace. Not located since then, this masterpiece of sculpture is now rediscovered and its retraced history is a major event

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Auguste MOREAU, The Crayfish Fisherman, circa 1902

This statue in Carrara statuary marble was sculpted by Auguste Moreau around 1902. Auguste Moreau (1834-1917) belonged to a distinguished lineage of sculptors. He was the son of Jean-Baptiste-Louis-Joseph Moreau and brother to the renowned Mathurin Moreau, who appear to have been his mentors. Auguste was also the father of two sculptor sons. Both a painter and sculptor, he exhibited frequently at the Salons from 1866 to 1909. The child is seated on a rock covered with algae, beside the water. His pose is dynamic and slightly off-balance: his right leg is bent backward, while his left leg stretches over the water. His left hand rests on his right leg, holding a stick with which he pulls a crayfish by its claw. The child’s head, framed by long curls, is tilted downward, and he gazes at his catch with a faint smile. Special attention was given to textures, with the child’s smooth skin contrasting against the algae and the rough surface of the stick. The work is signed on the side and bears an inscription. The plaster of this statue was presented to the public at the 1902 Salon, catalogued as number 2725. The artist explored similar themes featuring children and small animals in several other works, including Child with warblers, presented at the 1878 Salon, Child with a Frog in 1893 and Happy Fisherman in 1895.

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Louis XV style Pompadour mantel carved in Bois Jourdan marble