MOTHER AND CHILD

Historical and artistic context

This important bronze group depicts a young nude woman, kneeling, bending toward a standing child who clings to her neck. The mother’s body, folded inward, forms a broad protective arc; her joined hands support her inclined head, eyes closed, in an expression of tenderness and contemplation.

The child, nude, his body still round and youthful, reaches up to her, wrapping his arms around her neck. A drapery falling between the two figures creates a vertical screen that visually links the bodies and organises the central space. The rectangular terrace, lightly hammered, prolongs the movement of the drapery folds.

The volumes are deliberately simplified: smooth surfaces, softened articulations, stylised treatment of the hair — all typical of the Art Déco language. The very dark brown-green patina, animated by warmer reflections on the prominent parts (shoulders, back, legs), underlines the sensuality of the modelling and reinforces the intimate and silent atmosphere of this scene of maternity.

The sculpture bears the stamp of the Lastele foundry, also known as “La Stèle,” a Parisian art foundry specialising in Art Déco period bronzes. This firm collaborated with several modern sculptors and is distinguished by the quality of its castings, the precision of its details, and the care given to patinas.

The presence of this stamp, combined with Pierre Traverse’s signature on the terrace, guarantees an early edition casting, produced to the high standards of the great Parisian foundries of the first half of the 20th century.