Agnes de Frumerie

Four Ages C0087

Inventory Number
C0087Size
11 1/2" H x 9" WMaterial
StonewarePeriod
Art NouveauCountry of Origin
FranceYear Made
c1900Status
AvailableCondition
Perfect

Description

Agnes de Frumerie elicits joy and sorrow with her portrayal of Life and Death in the guise of female nudes linking hands in a ritual dance around the body of this stoneware vessel. The sculptor's frank treatment of the human form in four stages of life marks a departure from classical idealism but is reminiscent of late Renaissance German sculpture by men such as Tilman Riemenschneider. The muted tones of the matte glaze are in keeping with the vase's sober subject. Agnes de Frumerie (born 1869 in Sweden) was admitted to the National Society of Fine Arts, Paris, where she met ceramist Adrien Dalpayrat. They worked together in 1895 for a brief time before she began her collaboration of nearly ten years with Edmond Lachenal. Marks: de Frumerie [painted on side]; E. Lachenal Céramiste [painted]