French Art Deco
Paul Philippe
'Irony’
Gilt Bronze & Marble Sculpture
ca. 1925
Dimensions
Height: 11.25 in (28.58 cm)
Width: 3.5 in (8.89 cm)
Depth: 4.5 in (11.43 cm) Base height:
3.5 in (8.75 cm)
'Irony'
'Irony' is one of several works
by the famous French sculptor, Paul Philippe that make up his celebrated series
of outstandingly beautiful female nude figures in various natural states, moods
and emotions, including such outstanding sculptures as 'Thoughtfulness',
'Awakening', ‘Irony’ and others. Each model was cast in two versions - large
and reduced. In this case, we present the original (larger version) of the
famous sculpture. Signed ‘P. Philippe’ and foundry stamp ‘Fonderie AG Paris’ on
the bottom of the bronze plinth affixed on the original marble base of a
totally unusual shape.
Paul Philippe (French, 1870 -
1930)
The famous French sculptor, Paul
Philippe was born in the town of Thorn in Poland. In 1899-1915, he lived and
worked in Paris, studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, in the studio of Antonin
Larroux (1859-1913), whose allegorical compositions, made in the neoclassical
style, were repeatedly awarded prestigious awards at the Paris Salons.
Working in the Art Nouveau and
Art Deco styles, Philip is one of the few sculptors who worked not only with
the usual clay, bronze or stone, but also with porcelain, wood, as well as wax,
ivory, chryselephantine, and decorated some of his works with precious stones.
While working for a time in Berlin, he sometimes employed the Rosenthal und
Maeder (R.U.M.), and Preiss-Kassler foundries to cast his work.
All his models are distinguished
by extreme refinement and delicacy of forms. The master paid special attention
to the quality of the finish and the selection of spectacular patina. Thanks to
shades of brown, gilded and silvered patinas, his sculptures looked unusually
impressive and life-likPaul Philippe occupies a special place, no matter how
trite it may sound, in the history of small Art Deco plastics for he is a
servant of two art schools, German and French, who implemented this unique
combination fruitfully simultaneously in both, France and Weimar Germany.
Paul Philippe specialized mainly
in female images. A number of the pieces he created were of figures in the
nude, which was popular during the era. Some compositions include images of
animals (‘Girl with a Dog’, for example). Particularly frequent characters in
Philippe’s sculptural compositions were real-life and well-known faces to the
sculptor - cabaret dancers, theater artists, demimondaine.
After the end of the First World
War, Philip moved to Germany, however, the sculptor's artistic and personal
ties with Paris were not interrupted. He created many sculptures, from
miniature figurines to impressive monuments, looking at which you hold your
breath while eagerly admiring the skill of the author. Paul Philippe was called
by some a sculptor-archeologist for his exceptionally accurate portraits of
people who lived several thousand years ago.
Philippe's work is exhibited in
the Art Deco Museum in Moscow, Russia, one of the newest museums in Russian
capital, opened in 2014. His work is also a part of other major museum and
private collections around the world.
Paul Philippe died in 1930, but
the location of his burial site is unknown.
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