BRONZE "L'ECHO DES BOIS" BY HENRI HONORE PLE (1853-1922)

A bronze sculpture with a medal patina depicting a young nude girl standing against a tree trunk, leaning to the right, in a naturalistic flowerbed. The base bears an inscription and signature in relief: "Echo des bois" and "Henri Plé." Henri Honoré Plé (1853–1922) studied under Gérault and Mathurin Moreau and worked as a painter and sculptor of portraits and bas-reliefs. Seductive oriental figures or powerful male figures, mostly heroes of history or mythology, occupy a significant place in this sculptor's eclectic output. He exhibited at the Salon from 1877 and received an honorable mention in 1879, before being awarded a bronze medal at the 1900 Paris Exposition. Our model was exhibited at the Salon of 1896. The Barbedienne and Thiébaut foundries produced bronze casts of several of Plé's works. Bibliography: Pierre Kjellberg, "Les bronzes du XIXe siècle", Paris, Les éditions de l'amateur, p. 548. Art Nouveau period, Circa: 1900 Dim: L:22cm, D:20cm, H:50cm.