Augustin-Jean Moreau-Vauthier
Cupid1875

On view:

Geffen Galleries

Small ivory and metal sculpture of a nude classical male figure striding forward, arm raised, with gilded belt and dark drapery, on an alabaster pedestal

Ivory and silver sculpture of a nude winged male figure holding an arrow aloft, with a large eagle clutching his torso, mounted on a tiered onyx and silver pedestal.

Ivory and silver sculpture of a winged putto standing on one foot, one arm raised, with silver feathered wings and sandals with straps, mounted on a circular onyx and silver base.

Ivory and silvered bronze sculpture of a standing winged youth in a dynamic pose, one arm raised, holding a bow, wearing sandals and a belt with draped fabric at the hips, mounted on a circular onyx pedestal.

Artist or Maker: Augustin-Jean Moreau-Vauthier
France, Paris, 1831-1893
Title: Cupid
Place Made: France
Date Made: 1875
Medium: Ivory, silver, gold, and precious stones, with onyx base
Dimensions: 19 × 9 × 9 in. (48.26 × 22.86 × 22.86 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of Camilla Chandler Frost
Accession Number: M.91.269.1
Classification: Sculpture
Collecting Area: European Painting and Sculpture
Curatorial Notes: Born to the son of a maker of chess sets and games, Augustin-Jean Moreau-Vauthier grew up in an environment dedicated to highly refined sculptural work made of valuable and rare materials. He apprenticed to an ivory carver at a young age, learning the nuanced skills required to manipulate such a delicate material, as evidenced in the present work. Anxious to advance as a sculptor, Moreau-Vauthier entered the French Academy of Fine Arts at the age of nineteen and soon thereafter produced several successful decorative figures purchased by the French state and editioned by the commercial firm Barbedienne. While he was also commissioned to work on larger projects in churches and for the Paris town hall, he achieved his greatest renown with exquisite objects such as this statuette of Cupid. He presented the model, first in plaster and then in bronze, at the annual Salons of 1870 and 1872. Yet it was this ivory version embellished with gold, silver, gray pearls, turquoise, and a semiprecious stone, possibly carnelian, that garnered Moreau-Vauthier one of his several medals from the Salon of 1875.

2025

Related Unframed

Augustin-Jean Moreau-Vauthier
Cupid1875

On view:

Geffen Galleries

Artist or Maker: Augustin-Jean Moreau-Vauthier
France, Paris, 1831-1893
Title: Cupid
Place Made: France
Date Made: 1875
Medium: Ivory, silver, gold, and precious stones, with onyx base
Dimensions: 19 × 9 × 9 in. (48.26 × 22.86 × 22.86 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of Camilla Chandler Frost
Accession Number: M.91.269.1
Classification: Sculpture
Collecting Area: European Painting and Sculpture
Curatorial Notes: Born to the son of a maker of chess sets and games, Augustin-Jean Moreau-Vauthier grew up in an environment dedicated to highly refined sculptural work made of valuable and rare materials. He apprenticed to an ivory carver at a young age, learning the nuanced skills required to manipulate such a delicate material, as evidenced in the present work. Anxious to advance as a sculptor, Moreau-Vauthier entered the French Academy of Fine Arts at the age of nineteen and soon thereafter produced several successful decorative figures purchased by the French state and editioned by the commercial firm Barbedienne. While he was also commissioned to work on larger projects in churches and for the Paris town hall, he achieved his greatest renown with exquisite objects such as this statuette of Cupid. He presented the model, first in plaster and then in bronze, at the annual Salons of 1870 and 1872. Yet it was this ivory version embellished with gold, silver, gray pearls, turquoise, and a semiprecious stone, possibly carnelian, that garnered Moreau-Vauthier one of his several medals from the Salon of 1875.

2025