Mallett 20th C 2013 final_new Mallett catalogue design 14/10/13 15:20 Pagina 126
A BRONZE BIRD BY ARMAND ALBERT RATEAU
A patinated bronze bird by Armand Albert Rateau, now resting on a base of septarian nodule marble, holding a rock crystal in its beak. The base and rock crystal of later date. France, circa 1920 Height: 22in/55.5cm Width: 15½in/40cm Depth: 7in/18cm O3D0167
Armand Albert Rateau (1882-1938), trained as a sculptor at the renowned École Boulle before working with Georges Hoentschel and Alavoine. In 1914 he travelled to Naples and Pompei with a group of friends, including some of the Cartier family. His experience of the ancient bronze furniture in the Naples Museum, and the classical scenes preserved in the frescos greatly influenced his future work. Whilst being an element of a now lost larger piece, this exquisite bronze sculpture by Rateau represents the very best of French craftsmanship and design from the inter-war years. The floor lamp, of which this piece was originally one of the supports, is one of the most iconic designs, and by one of the greatest names, in the history of French decorative arts. LITERATURE
Armand-Albert Rateau, Faubre Olivier Vial, Edition de l’Amateur, 1992, p. 59, 69 and 98.
An example of the floor lamp in the Musee des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, from the Jeanne Lanvin collection
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