AUGUSTE MOREAU (France, 1834 - 1917). "Two boys". Table... Lot 56

AUGUSTE MOREAU (France, 1834 - 1917). "Two boys". Table clock with calamine trimming and veined marble base. Signed on the base. The clock has no key. It needs to be reworked. Measurements: 46 x 27 x 24 cm (clock); 34 x 20 x 15 x 15 cm (lining). Table clock with a calamine lining and a veined marble base. On the base of the clock there are two bronze figures of adolescents looking at each other in a courtship. The clothes are those of peasants or humble people, and it may have been a break in their working day. Beneath the figures is the Parisian clock case with Arabic numerals and a white dial with coloured plant motifs. Surrounding the dial is a dotted border of gilded bronze, highlighting the clock. The garnish features two vases with a classical air, instead of candelabra, as was the custom at the time. It is a piece whose timeless beauty, classically inspired and stylised canon is typical of the French sculptor Auguste Moreau. The son of the painter Jean Baptiste Moreau, Auguste began his training as a pupil of his elder brother Mathurin. He made his debut at the Paris Salon of 1861, where he participated regularly until 1913. He was also a member of the Société des Artistes Français. His themes - genre, pastoral, allegorical scenes - and his style, realistic and graceful, link him to other members of the Moreau dynasty. He mainly produced bronzes, but also worked in marble and occasionally combined bronze and gold ("Victrix enfant", presented at the 1897 Salon). He produced numerous editions of his works, which were in great demand by the public both for their themes, which were very fashionable at the time, and for their naturalism and graceful beauty. Works by Auguste Moreau can be seen in the Museums of Fine Arts in Bordeaux, Dijon, Gray and Reims, as well as in private collections both in France and abroad (he was especially published in the United States).