BRONZE TRAY BY ÉMILE VERNIER (1852-1927), ART NOUVEAU PERIOD

Oval-shaped patinated bronze tray with bas-relief repoussé and chased decoration. It features a nude woman reclining in the reeds at the water's edge. In the background, a young putto appears and looks at her. This sensual scene, in which plant and human forms intermingle, is typical of Art Nouveau. Treated in a clearly contemporary language, the subject and arrangement of the figures recall one of art history's best-known allegories, "Venus and Love", and in particular Titian's 16th-century interpretations (Prado Museum, Madrid, etc.). Our tray is signed "E. VERNIER" on the border. VERNIER". Émile Séraphin Vernier (1852-1927) was a French sculptor, chiseler, plasterer and medal engraver. He made his debut at the Salon de l'Académie des Beaux-Arts in 1876, winning an honorable mention in 1886. He went on to win a number of awards, including a bronze medal at the 1900 Universal Exhibition. Vernier was president of the Société des Artistes Décorateurs from 1905 to 1910. In 1903, he was made a knight, then in 1911, an officer of the Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur. The Musée d'Orsay owns several plates in bronze, copper and gilded silver by this artist.