MacDougall Auctions 12-18 June 2008
12 June 2008
104. PHILIPPE, PAUL 1870-1930
Nude with a Mirror Base engraved: "P Philippe" and numbered '43' on the reverse.
Carved and tinted ivory, bronze, glass, on an onyx base, 24.5 by 16 by 6.5 cm.
40,000-50,000
Provenance: Private collection.
Literature: Brian Catley, Art Deco and other Figures, Antique Collectors' Club, Woodbridge, Suffolk, 1978, p.250 illustrated.
Art Deco Sculpture: from Root to Flourishing, Vol 2, Russian House Art Deco, 2008-2009.
The ascent of one of the most lyrical masters of chryselephantine sculpture to the Art Deco hall of fame began in 1907 when he exhibited his marble statue at the Paris Salon under the title Awakening, released by F. Goldscheider. This was a figure of a standing nude girl who is stretching, having just awoken. The work became the most popular sculpture of the time and was released by Goldscheider in various sizes made of bronze, marble, elephant ivory and wood.
In the 1920s and 1930s Philippe lived in Berlin where he produced numerous models from bronze and elephant ivory for the company Rosenthal & Maeder. After Rosenthal & Maeder was incorporated within Preiss & Kassler, he submitted several compositions for his new patrons.
The sculpture Nude with a Mirror is Paul Philippe’s interpretation of a subject which artists have always found alluring. The figure of a girl with a mirror has, since the Middle Ages, alluded to “Vanitas”, which encompassed the representation of contemporary female beauty combined with a tragic recognition of its brevity. “Vanitas” has been explored by Bellini, Rembrandt, Titian, Schneiders and many others. Some depicted a woman gloating over her own beauty but attached an undertone of tragedy or alluded to the fragility of life and the transitory nature of earthly beauty, but Paul Philippe imbues the female form with a feeling of celebration, coquettishness and mild enchantment.
In the 1920s and 1930s Philippe lived in Berlin where he produced numerous models from bronze and elephant ivory for the company Rosenthal & Maeder. After Rosenthal & Maeder was incorporated within Preiss & Kassler, he submitted several compositions for his new patrons.
For more information please refer to printed catalogue
Notes on symbols:
* Indicates 5% Import Duty Charge applies.
Ω Indicates 20% Import Duty Charge applies.
§ Indicates Artist's Resale Right applies.
† Indicates Standard VAT scheme applies, and the rate of 20% VAT will be charged on both hammer price and premium.