Pair Of Carved Marble Medallions With Profiles Of Women In Bas-relief By Louis Bottée, 1889 Exhibition

Pair of carved marble medallions depicting a profile of a young woman with a gilded wooden frame and on the back a bronze medal from the 1889 World's Fair also made by Louis BottéePair of bas-reliefs in veined Italian marble in a richly decorated oval medallionBust of a woman dressed in antique style, very finely sculptedVery graceful face reminiscent of Greek and Roman sculptures from AntiquityDifferent models but designed to be a pair because the faces are facing each otherTypical Napoleon III frame with 4 flowered spandrels surrounding the oval marble in high relief with gilded gadroonsSuperb quality frameAt the back is set in the marble a bronze medal also made by Louis Bottée (signed at the bottom) for the 1889 World's Fair in ParisA truly high quality and very decorative setFrame: h: 70 cm w: 60.5 cm ep: 6.8 cmOval marble: h: 40 cm width: 31 cm thickness: 6 cm Medal d: 5.9 cm Biography: Louis-Alexandre Bottée was born on March 14, 1852 in Paris. He began his apprenticeship in 1865 in a button factory where he was responsible for engraving the models. A student at the School of Decorative Arts, he entered the studio of Paulin Tasset in 1869. He became a student of Dumont, Millet and Ponscarme. Accepted in 1871 at the École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts, he obtained, in 1878, the first grand prix de Rome for engraving in medals and fine stones. A member of the French Artists, he obtained a first-class medal in 1894 and a gold medal in 1900 at the Salon. Some of his works are marked by the Art Nouveau style, such as the plaquette for the jury of the 1900 Universal Exhibition, produced by the goldsmith Christofle. They are all of extreme quality. He became an officer of the Legion of Honor in 1903 and was elected a member of the Academy of Fine Arts in 1930. He died in Paris on November 14, 1940.