Ringel d’Illzach

Ringel d’Illzach was one of the most multi-talented artists working in late nineteenth century France. His earliest work in ceramics dates from the Haviland & Cie stoneware studio in Vaugirard, where he created decors under the direction of Ernest Chaplet. Around 1905 Ringel sculpted a series of grotesque anthropomorphic animals called chimeras, executed by Ceramiques Elchinger, in his native Alsace. These bear a striking resemblance to Woman and Python Coupling, whose modeling similarly eschews refined finish for tactile plasticity.