Agathon Leonard Reclining Lady Bronze Art Nouveau Statue on Marble Base This is as good as it gets in bronze figures. The statue is precise in every detail with exquisite impressions throughout. The statue is unnamed, however, some have gone through auction in the East for upwards of $1900 this year. With the factory marking it would probably sell from $12,000 and $20,000 and be of museum quality. A. LEONARD is inscribed on base. Figure is 11 1/2" Length, 3 3/4" wide, 10" height. Base is 13" length, 4 1/2" wide, 1" height -- Marble base. Total weight is 10 pounds. More photo's will be provided upon request. Talc was used to highlight signature on base. Sorry price is firm and it goes home if it doesn't sell in a reasonable period of time on the web site. Léonard Agathon van Weydevelt, a Belgian by birth who moved to France early in his career, initially studied under Delaplanche. A regular exhibitor across France, Léonard was made a chevalier of the Légion d'Honneur in 1900. Amongst his works are a number of stylish studies of dancers, such as La Cothurne, modeled in a distinctive fin-de-siècle manner and usually rendered in gilt. They were cast in bronze by the Susse foundry. His bas-relief of St. Cecilia is in the Abbeville Museum and a bust called The Plunderer of Shipwrecks is in the Nantes Museum.
He produced a number of medallions, statuettes and pottery in the Art Nouveau style. Like many sculptors he worked in more than one medium, producing works marble, quartz, bronze and the ivory. He is best known in particular for his figurine the Play of the Scarf (1897), exhibited the World Fair of Paris in 1900. Lost Wax Casting Process The "Lost Wax" is the most precise metal casting technique in existence, ensuring accurate reproductions of the original sculpture and exquisite detail. All bronze pieces are cast from a wax model regardless of the original material the model was sculpted in usually in clay or wax. "Lost wax" casting method was founded thousands of years ago. Even though, modern methods and materials have improved the technique. It is still an extremely labor intensive and expensive process. VIEW OUR DECORATIVE ARTS BRONZE GALLERY! |