AUGUSTE MOREAU (France, 1834 - 1917). Minerva.... Lot 24

AUGUSTE MOREAU (France, 1834 - 1917). Minerva. Patinated bronze bust with gilt-bronze details.. Signed Moreau on base. Measurements: 46 x 24 x 14 cm. One of the major deities of ancient Greece and Rome, Minerva was the goddess of wisdom, arts and learning. The daughter of Jupiter and sister of Hebe, she is also associated with civilized war and the fighting of just causes. Son of the painter Jean Baptiste Moreau, Auguste began his training as a disciple of his older 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 scenes, pastoral, allegorical - and his style, realistic and full of grace, link him to other members of the Moreau dynasty. He made mainly bronzes, although he also worked in marble and occasionally combined bronze with gold ("Victrix enfant", presented at the 1897 Salon). He made numerous editions of his works, highly demanded by the public both for their themes, very fashionable at the time, and for their naturalism and graceful beauty. We can contemplate Auguste Moreau's works in the Museums of Fine Arts of Bordeaux, Dijon, Gray and Reims, as well as in private collections both in France and in other countries (he was especially edited in the United States).