A PAIR OF VENETIAN POLYCHROME-PAINTED, PARCEL-GILT AND MOTHER-OF-PEARL FIGURES ON STANDS

Florence Gould (1895-1983), daughter of Maximilien La Caze, a wealthy French publisher, was born in San Francisco and trained to become an opera singer. In 1923 she married Frank Jay Gould, son of the American railroad magnate, Jay Gould. The couple moved to France where Florence established herself by hosting what became noted salons for the literary and artistic circles at their celebrated Palais de Cannes on the Côte d'Azur and their Parisian residence on Avenue de Malakoff. She later instituted various prizes for writers and artists, and many important French-American cultural events are supported through the Foundation established in her name.