Mathurin Moreau Bronze Statue of a Nymph and Putto Converted into an Oil Lamp

A rare bronze statue of a Nymph and a clinging putto by the famous French 19thC sculptor Mathurin Moreau which was custom transformed into an oil lamp. The nymph is holding aloft a flambeau which was part of the bronze by
Moreau to which was fitted a griotte marble and gilt bronze bowl holding the brass oil lamp and its reservoir. The whole is mounted on a round griotte marble socle with gilt bronze trim.

As can be seen from the accompanying photographs, the oil lamp is totally detachable from the bowl, and except for the tubular glass shade the lamp is totally original. The bronze is signed Moreau Math Hors Concourse on the base and has the foundry stamp at the back also on the base.

Born in 1822 into a family of distinguished artists, Mathurin Moreau combined natural ability, years of training, and an entrepreneurial spirit to become one of the most well-known French sculptors of the 19th century. His training began under his father and famous French sculptor, Jean Baptiste, and continued at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris beginning in 1841. Mathurin Moreau’s sculptures earned him Second Grand Prize of Rome in 1842 and international recognition at the Salon and World’s Fair in the decades to follow. Mathurin Moreau’s sculptures can be seen all over Paris, including L’Oceanie at the Orsay Museum and Cologne at the Gare du Nord train station.

Dimensions : 30″ H x 8″ Diameter base