A FRENCH 'ART NOUVEAU' ORMOLU-MOUNTED ABALONE, GLASS, ROCK-CRYSTAL AND IVORY FIGURE OF VENUS

Henri Allouard (French, 1844-1929) exhibited at the Paris Salon from 1865 to 1928. He studied under Lequesne and Schanewerck and works by him are known in a variety of materials such as terracotta, bronze, ivory, precious metals and marble. He was awarded a gold medal at the Exposition Universelle 1900.
Combining gilt-bronze, ivory, abalone and rock crystal, this chryselephantine statue is of the type produced by the great Parisian jewellers such as Falize and Froment-Meurice and is very probably a collaboration between the sculptor and a Bijouterie-Orfèvrerie.