Beautiful Art Nouveau bas-relief by sculptor Lucien Charles Edouard Alliot (1877-1967). It is made of spelter with a double green and gilded patina and is titled "Avant le bain" (Before the Bath).
It is signed "Alliot" on the bottom right and has a small gilded plaque in the middle of the base that reads "Avant le bain (par Alliot)".
Born in Paris, Lucien Alliot, whose father was himself a sculptor, painter, and art object manufacturer, entered the Beaux-Arts de Paris and studied under Louis-Ernest Barrias and Jules Coutan. He took over the family business of sales and publishing, with a bronze and ceramic workshop. He debuted at the Salon of 1896, and his themes were perfectly in tune with the times; classical at first with subjects on maternity or childhood, then very fashionable, then Art Nouveau with "flower-women," of which the piece I am offering you is a beautiful example.
In 1907, he received a travel grant that allowed him to visit Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. In the early 1920s, he absorbed the Art Deco style and strongly stylized his sculpture, also creating chryselephantine pieces. Later, as the 1937 International Exhibition approached, he joined the neo-classical movement that would be all the rage at the time. He regularly exhibited at the Salon des Artistes Français. He died on March 9, 1967, and is buried in Père Lachaise cemetery (Paris) with his daughter Violette (1908-2005), also a sculptor.
This lovely piece depicts a young woman relaxing on a ledge before entering the water. She leans down to dip her hand in the water. The sculpture captures a beautiful moment of poetry.
It is in good condition and its patina is very nice (note: some signs of wear due to age).
It is a beautiful piece with a lot of charm.
Dimensions: width 10.3 cm, height 9.8 cm, weight 505 g.
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