Paul Gauguin (1848-1903), Relief 'Sündenfall (Adam... Lot n° 533378

Material: probably ceramic, in bas-relief, gilded silver back, top with hole for hanging, Signature: monogrammed 'PGO' on the left side, Dimensions: 7,7 x 4,7 cm, Provenance: from private collection, formerly acquired at auction, Condition: good, Comment: It is little known that Paul Gauguin tried his hand at woodcarving and decorative ceramics in his early days as an artist. The very rare relief presented here is possibly one of the works that Gauguin executed recurrently for his private pleasure. The Fall of Man depicted here is stylistically reminiscent of Gauguin's wooden reliefs with religious themes, probably from the post-Martinique period in the late 1880s and early 1890s, cf. on this 'Adam et Eve', Gray, p. 173, no. 58, 'Eve et le serpent', Gray, p. 190, no. 71. With regard to the choice of material, however, the ceramic relief is reminiscent of a fully plastic Venus figure made of black-brown glazed earthenware, cf. Gray p. 214, no. 92. Literature: Christopher R. Gray: Sculpture and ceramics of Paul Gauguin, New York 1980, 2nd ed. + Paul Gauguin (1848-1903), Relief 'Fall of Man (Adam and Eve), probably end of 19th century Material: probably ceramic, in bas-relief, gilded silver back, top with hole for hanging, Signature: monogrammed 'PGO' on the left side, Dimensions: 7.7 x 4.7 cm, Provenance: from a private collection, formerly acquired at an auction, Condition: good, Comment: It is little known that Paul Gauguin already tried his hand at woodcarving and decorative ceramics in his early days as an artist. The very rare relief presented here is possibly one of the works that Gauguin executed recurrently for his private pleasure. The Fall of Man depicted here is stylistically reminiscent of Gauguin's wooden reliefs with religious themes, probably from the post-Martinique period in the late 1880s and early 1890s, cf. on this 'Adam et Eve', Gray, p. 173, no. 58, 'Eve et le serpent', Gray, p. 190, no. 71. With regard to the choice of material, however, the ceramic relief is reminiscent of a fully sculptural Venus figure in black-brown glazed earthenware, cf. Gray p. 214, no. 92. Literature: Christopher R. Gray: Sculpture and ceramics of Paul Gauguin, New York 1980