This antique beautiful bronze figure depicts a dancing nude , whose hand and leg entwine swallows. It was executed from the model of French sculptor Felix Maurice Charpentier.

Felix Maurice Charpentier was born on January 10, 1858 in Bollène. Already at the age of seven he carved first figures of wood or he formed sculptures of clay, until he attended at the age of 16 the academy of Fine Arts in Avignon, where he learned the craftwork of sculpture.In 1877 he moved to Paris to continue his education at the renowned art school Ècole des Beaux-Arts. He became a pupil of Pierre-Jules Cavelier and Amédée Doublemard, who was lifelong a close friend to him. His first works Charpentier exhibited in the Salon des Artistes Français, where he regularly showed his works in the following years.Around 1882 he met his later wife Léa Lucas and enjoyed first successes, when he got a laudatory mentioning for his sculpture “The Rest of the Harvesters“ at an exhibition in the Salon des Artistes Français. In 1884 he even received a third-class medal for his sculpture “Young Faun“, and in 1887 he got the second-class medal for his work “The Improviser”. He also received a journey budget, with which he travelled to Spain, where he was inspired by the art of Francisco de Goya and the native ancestors. Moreover he visited Rome, Florence and Naples. In 1889 “The Improviser”, casted in bronze, received the silver medal at the world’s fair in Paris. From this moment he had reached a degree of fame, that increased through the years. On May 5, 1892 he was even decorated with the medal of the French Legion of Honour “Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur”.The artist enjoyed his greatest success in 1893, when he got the Medal of Honour for his marble sculpture “The Wrestlers”. This figure has been decorated the city hall square in Bollène since 1905 and is only one of several works, that are public visitable. For example Felix Charpentier decorated the station Gare de Lyon in Paris and designed memorials for Madier de Montjau and Emile Jamais (*1856 in Aigues-Vives; † 1893).At the world’s fair in 1900 in Paris he received the First Medal of Honour for his works “The Falling Star”, “The Wrestlers” and “The Song”. For this reason he also was decorated by the French president Emile Loubet with the officer`s rosette of the French Legion of Honour.In his lifetime Felix Charpentier created more than 40 war memorials of World War I and more than 200 busts of famous people. He died on December 7, 1924 in Paris.

Literature: Thieme/Becker "Allgemeines Lexikon der bildenden Künstler von der Antike bis zur Gegenwart"; E.Benezit "Dictionnaire des peintres, sculpteurs, dessinateurs et graveurs",Gründ, 1999.

Inscription: signed and inscribed illegible on the base: "F.Charpentier, Barbedienne, Paris"Technique: bronze, dark brown patina.

Measurements: h. 13 3/4" (35 cm).

Condition: sculpture and patina are in very good condition.