égide rombaux · (1865–1942)

Églantine

technical sheet

ARTIST Égide Rombaux
DATE ca. 1900
MATerial White Carrara marble
DIMENSIONS 56 x 14 x 12 cm
 Signature E. Rombaux
 PROVENANCE
CONSERVATION  Collection Privée
About the work

Although the name carved on the front of the sculpture is “Eglantine,” that of a flower, the work in fact portrays the artist’s sister, Adèle. This achievement by Égide Rombaux is without reservation among the highlights of his oeuvre and at the same time one of the icons of Belgian Art Nouveau. Everything about it is infused with spirit and offers an ode to what those aiming for the purest refinement can only dream of.

All the abilities upon which Rombaux’s work rests bring this bust to life, considerations of style remaining wholly secondary to the artist. Disarming in its gentleness, the sculpture welcomes us as a symbol of the first, tender pleasures of life.

Carved in white Carrara marble, the portrait testifies to the sculptor’s virtuosity. Two similar but less elaborate busts are held in the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium in Brussels, underscoring the importance of this subject within his career.

the ARTIST

Égide rombaux

Schaerbeek, 1865 — 1942, Uccle

Son of the sculptor Félix Rombaux, Égide received a rigorous training under Guillaume De Groot and Albert Desenfans, rounded out by evening classes with Charles Van der Stappen. He worked for two years alongside Jef Lambeaux, the “Belgian Rodin,” on the Brabo Fountain in Antwerp. Winner of the Godecharle Prize and later the Prix de Rome, he lived in Italy, chiefly in Florence.

Back in Belgium, he set up his studio in Schaerbeek and produced his best-known sculptures, among them Daughters of Satan, acquired by the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium. His exceptional technique made his figures emerge from the marble as if from a mist; after 1900 he also excelled in ivory, celebrating the beauty of the nude and supple movement.