1900 "Naissance De La Perle" Solid Brass Figural Maiden Table Lamp After Moreau

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There are lamps… and then there are revelations disguised as lamps.

This gilded bronze figure titled “Naissance de La Perle” … Read more There are lamps… and then there are revelations disguised as lamps.

This gilded bronze figure titled “Naissance de La Perle” — Birth of the Pearl — after the celebrated French sculptor Auguste Moreau, is less a lighting fixture and more a small theatrical performance frozen in metal. She rises from the sea as though the tide itself had sculpted her, a luminous maiden emerging from swirling waves and shell-like forms, her drapery fluttering in an eternal Atlantic breeze that exists somewhere between mythology and the Paris Salon.

Moreau (1834–1917), born into a dynasty of sculptors — the Moreau family practically cornered the market on 19th-century French decorative bronze — was a master of allegorical and romantic subjects. He exhibited regularly at the Paris Salon and became renowned for his graceful female figures, mythological themes, and theatrical compositions. His work captured the Belle Époque fascination with femininity, nature, and classical storytelling, all rendered with exquisite detail and a touch of operatic flair.

And here she is — the pearl herself.

Her posture is fluid, almost hesitant, as though she has just discovered gravity. One foot touches the cresting wave beneath her while the other follows, toes delicately poised. The gilded bronze surface glows warmly, emphasizing every gentle curve and strand of wind-tossed hair. A flowing ribbon arcs behind her shoulder, creating movement that feels spontaneous — like the final note of a violin lingering in a grand Parisian drawing room.

The sculptural base is a marvel of organic drama — shells, foam, and oceanic textures cradle her ascent. Beneath it all rests a circular plinth of dark marble, grounding this ethereal vision in earthly elegance. Rising above her, the lamp stem twists upward like a strand of seaweed reaching toward sunlight, culminating in a socket ready to cast a soft glow — as if illumination itself were the final act of her transformation.

In the 19th century, such figural lamps were not mere utilities. They were statements — declarations that art should live in every corner of the home. To light a room with “Naissance de La Perle” is to invite mythology into your evening rituals. It is to suggest that even electricity can bow to poetry.

This is not simply a bronze lamp. It is a narrative. A whisper of the sea. A Belle Époque dream in gilded form. And like all great works inspired by Auguste Moreau, it does not just decorate a space — it performs within it. Needs new wiring redone.

Measures 32.5 tall x 9 wide x 9 deep. See less