Lot Essay
The present set of intricately-carved figures of The Four Seasons are based on original models conceived by the celebrated French sculptor, Mathurin Moreau, and cast in bronze during the second half of the nineteenth century. Although a versatile artist, Moreau himself is not known to have worked in ivory, a material which allows a highly-skilled sculptor, attracted by the variegated surfaces and sensuous qualities of this material, to achieve a depth and detail of carving far superior to anything attainable by the bronze casting process and subsequent refinement of the ciseleur. This leads one to ponder on who the author of such fine quality work might actually be. An obvious choice might be Augustin-Jean Moreau-Vauthier (d. 1893), perhaps the most celebrated French ivoirier during the last quarter of the nineteenth century. However, as the undisputed master of this art, Moreau-Vauthier was not reliant on the creative inspiration of his contemporaries for his work in ivory. Rather, he produced original pieces, often using ivory in conjunction with other materials, notably silver and onyx, or on its own, as reductions of Salon entries in other media, providing his clientele with an attractive though costly alternative to the editions in bronze issued by so many of his colleagues. Other, more likely candidates for The Four Seasons are the limited number of pupils and emulators of Moreau-Vauthier, among these Emile-Philippe Scailliet (d. 1911), Clovis Delacour (d. 1929), or the most notable of the Dieppe ivoiriers, Pierre-Adrien Graillon (d. 1873). Undoubtedly, however, it was a hand completely at ease with its chosen material that fashioned the delicate form of each of these figures. The fluidity in the movement of drapery, contrasted with the softness of human flesh and the intricate carving of flowers, corn and vines, could only have been achieved by the most accomplished of sculptors.