Ref.12655
Ettore XIMENES (1855-1926) (attr. to), « Boy with a beret », Carrara marble bust, Second half of the 19th century

This Carrara marble bust was made in the second half of the 19th century, it depicts a boy with young features, his head turned slightly to the left. He is dressed with a sailor collar jacket and a large beret. This sculpture can be compared with another bust depicting a similar subject and made by the Italian sculptor Ettore Ximenes (1855 – 1926). It's the representation of a boy, obvisouly a little bit older than ours, frowning and smoking a cigarette. He is dressed with a fabric around his shoulders and a beret put on his head in the same way than in our bust. Ettore Ximenes is an Italian sculptor, painter and illustrator, born in 1855 in Palermo and dead in Roma in 1926. He starts his artistic career by taking class at the Art Academy of Palermo, then from 1872 he enters the Royal Academy of Napoli where he spends time with the painter Domenico Morelli (1826 – 1901) and the sculptors Stanislao Lista (1924 - 1908) and Vincenzo Gemito (1852 – 1929). Finally, he wins in 1874, a scholarship to study for four years in Firenze. The works of art he makes at his beginning are very realistic like in the two busts presented here. Later, he starts adding symbolic elements et Neo-Renaissance ones answering the artistic trend of the end of the century. All along his career, he participates to many European exhibitions such as the International Exhibition of Vienna in 1873 or the one in Paris in 1878 where he meets the French sculptors Auguste Rodin (1840 – 1917) and Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux (1827 - 1875). He participates also to the Napoli exhibition in 1877 where he exhibits a full-size sculpture untitled “Balance” which depicts a gymnast woman walking on a sphere, of which many small bronzes were made after. From the 80's, he makes many monumental projects in Italy and decides to dedicate himself to it from 1911 to enliven the public spaces of the world by sculpting for some cities like New York, Sao Paulo, Kiev or Buenos Aires.

Ref.14850
Maison Bernard, wrought iron craftsman, pair of richly decorated floor lamps, circa 1889

These monumental floor lamps were made circa 1889 by the the wrought-iron craftsman Antoine Bernard. They each rest on three feet in the shape of lion's paws extending in the form of volutes covered with ornamental acanthus leaves; in the center, the scrolls join a central foot, masked by masks and leather straps. Higher up, the uprights are hidden by a large shell. The central part is thin, then a large, richly decorated prominence announces the crowning of the floor lamp. Finally, a vase receives the glass ball of the luminaire, itself crowned with a small radiant circle of algae. One of the original opaque glass balls was carved with harmonious streaks forming a translucent star; the same pattern was reproduced on the other, in order to restore the harmony of the pair and return the lamp to its original appearance. Bernard took part in the Universal Exhibitions of 1889 and 1900 in Paris. Several examples of this floor lamp were exhibited at the 1889 exhibition. They were listed as "Louis XIV candelabras" in La Construction Moderne of 21 December 1889, which, following on from the previous edition of 14 December, listed the "remarkable samples of [the] art [of ironwork]" at that year's Exhibition; this mention was accompanied by an engraving. Bernard also presented two "consoles in the Louis XIV style" at the exhibition, which are probably similar in style to our light fittings. The Bernard company responded to very prestigious orders. She notably executed the Honor Gate, or Rooster Gate, of the Élysée Palace, in 1900. This gate has many characteristics in common with the two lamps: the same monumentality, the same foliage ornaments bring them together.

Ref.13811
F. SAUL, Jeune fille au chapeau dans les vignes, carved bust in Carrara marble