Master of marble and bronze fin-de-siècle.

Henri Godet was a refined representative of late 19th- and early 20th-century French sculpture. Trained in Paris, he was a pupil of the academic master Mathurin Moreau, whose influence can be seen in Godet’s taste for idealized forms, precise modelling, and harmonious composition.

He began exhibiting at a very early stage, participating in the Salon des Artistes Français from the 1880s onward, where he maintained a regular presence throughout his career. In 1893, he was awarded a third-class medal, and in 1899, he received the title Officier d’Académie—a distinction granted to artists whose talent had been officially recognized by the French cultural establishment.

Godet developed a body of work centered on the female figure, often portrayed in allegorical or mythological form. His production includes numerous busts and statuettes, primarily in patinated bronze—sometimes enamelled—and more rarely in white marble. He also created medallions and relief plaques, revealing a particular sensitivity to detail and a refined approach to relief sculpture.

Godet’s style lies at the intersection of academic naturalism and a sensibility akin to Art Nouveau. His female figures, often entwined with floral motifs, evoke an idealized vision of nature—gentle, silent, and poetic. Among his best-known works are The Gleaner, The Awakening of Dawn, Rêverie, and The Rapture of Psyche, the latter inspired by classical mythology. These compositions demonstrate both a high degree of technical finesse and a quest for formal harmony.

He died in Vincennes in 1937, leaving behind a body of work marked by delicacy, elegance, and restraint—fully in keeping with the tradition of the great masters of French sculpture.