Lot Essay
cf. F. Olivier-Vial, F. Rateau, Armand Albert Rateau, Paris, 1992, p. 170.
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A VERY RARE PAIR OF 'COL DE CYGNE' SCONCES, CIRCA 1920
Details
ARMAND ALBERT RATEAU (1882-1938)
A VERY RARE PAIR OF 'COL DE CYGNE' SCONCES, CIRCA 1920
gilt-bronze with silk shades (not pictured)
each 14 ½ in. (36.8 cm.) high, 5 ½ in. (14 cm.) wide, 8 5/8 in. (22 cm.) deep
each stamped A.A. RATEAU INVR PARIS
A VERY RARE PAIR OF 'COL DE CYGNE' SCONCES, CIRCA 1920
gilt-bronze with silk shades (not pictured)
each 14 ½ in. (36.8 cm.) high, 5 ½ in. (14 cm.) wide, 8 5/8 in. (22 cm.) deep
each stamped A.A. RATEAU INVR PARIS
Provenance
Galerie Vallois, Paris, Biennale des Antiquaires, 1996.
Literature
L’Estampille L’Objet d’Art, no. 305, September 1996, p. 73.
Further details
The swan is a creature heavily laden with symbolism. So distinctive in the purity of its whiteness, in the elegance of its silhouette, it is hardly surprising that this bird, known also for its tenacious commitment to partner and offspring, has been endowed with such a panoply of mythical associations. In ancient Greek and Roman mythology we find the swan linked with the Muses, with Apollo, with Zeus, with Artemis, and with Aphrodite, goddess of love who was conveyed in a carriage drawn by swans. Since the first performance of Swan Lake in Moscow in 1877, through its various mutations, this ballet became one of the most loved and served to re-enforce the popular image of the swan as a symbol of femininity and of romantic love.
Rateau has tapped into all of these references in the creation of these ‘col de cygne’ appliques. The gracious curve of the bird’s attenuated neck is the defining line of his design. The motif occurs elsewhere in his oeuvre. We find it also in his design for a sofa, created for the legendary bathroom-boudoir of the Duchess of Alba, in which the necks and heads of a pair of carved and gilded swans grace the fronts of the armrests.
Rateau has tapped into all of these references in the creation of these ‘col de cygne’ appliques. The gracious curve of the bird’s attenuated neck is the defining line of his design. The motif occurs elsewhere in his oeuvre. We find it also in his design for a sofa, created for the legendary bathroom-boudoir of the Duchess of Alba, in which the necks and heads of a pair of carved and gilded swans grace the fronts of the armrests.
Sale room notice
Please note that Christie’s has a direct financial interest in this lot.