Antique Bronze Hirondelle Blessee Alfred Foretay Garniture Mantel Clock & Urns

Description

Antique three piece set garniture clock made of bronze with green onyx bases and gilt feet. Mantel clock features the sculpture Hirondelle Blessee by Alfred Jean Foretay above a gilt framed, white porcelain clock face with hand painted florals and Arabic numerals. Urns feature Dutch pastoral landscapes and florals in low relief with female figures perched on the sides - one knitting in wooden shoes, the other barefoot with a lute slung around her shoulder.

"Alfred Jean Foretay (12 January 1861 †– 1 September 1944) was a Swiss sculptor. He made decorations for buildings, fountains and bronze sculptures in the Art Nouveau style. As a landscape painter, he produced paintings in the style of Impressionism. Alfred Foretay was born in 1861, the son of architect John-Henry Foretay. Foretay initially worked in his father's office. At the age of 16, he went to Paris, where in 1877 he attended the sculpture department of Alexandre Falguière at the École des Beaux-Arts. He stayed in the capital for several years, where he exhibited at the Salon of the Société des Artistes Français, among others. As a student of Falguières, he received an honorable mention in 1891 and a gold medal in 1904. [1]

In 1911 he returned to Switzerland and earned his money mainly with sculptural architectural decorations. After a stay in the south of France, he also began to devote himself to landscape painting. Between 1918 and 1935 he returned to France. Around 1919 he married. After contacts with various masters of sculpture and French painting, he decided to return to Switzerland with his wife and daughter. Fortay left behind remarkable sculptural art. In addition to numerous decorative sculptural works, Fortay produced numerous statuettes and busts in the Art Nouveau style, as well as decorative vessels made of tin and alloys.

Condition

Good Overall - Some wear to gilding/metal; gentle wear throughout

Dimensions

Clock - 17.25" x 9.5" x 29.5" / Vases - 8" x 7.25" x 20" (Width x Depth x Height)