Pair of 19th C French Bisque Porcelain Peasant Figures“Paysan Aux Raisins” and “Paysanne Aux Raisins,” After Hippolyte François Moreau, Samson, Paris

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Pair of 19TH C. French Bisque Porcelain Peasant Figures, “Paysan aux Raisins” and “Paysanne aux Raisins,” after Hippolyte François Moreau, … Read more Pair of 19TH C. French Bisque Porcelain Peasant Figures, “Paysan aux Raisins” and “Paysanne aux Raisins,” after Hippolyte François Moreau, Samson, Paris.

A matched pair of French bisque porcelain sculptures of grape harvesters, modeled after Hippolyte François Moreau and produced by Edmé Samson & Cie, Paris.

Each figure stands on a circular fluted pedestal above a rocky terrain base, as if walking through the countryside. The woman is barefoot in a flowing dress, carrying a basket of grapes; the man wears shoes and carries a matching basket. Both retain their original matte biscuit surface.

Hippolyte François Moreau (1832–1927) was the younger brother of Auguste Moreau and the son of the sculptor Jean-Baptiste Moreau. With Auguste and Mathurin, he belonged to the leading dynasty of 19th-century French sculpture, known for allegory and romantic genre scenes. He trained first in the family atelier in Dijon, then in Paris under François Jouffroy at the École des Beaux-Arts. He exhibited at the Salon des Artistes Français from 1859 into the early 20th century, received an honorable mention in 1888 and a third-class medal in 1889, and won medals at the Universal Expositions of 1878 and 1900. His statue of Alexis Claude Clairaut stands on a façade of the Paris City Hall. Works are held at the Museum of Fine Arts in Dijon and elsewhere. He died in Neuilly-sur-Seine in 1927.
These figures are porcelain casts after his models, titled in the paste “Paysan aux raisins,” and signed “Moreau.” Each piece bears the cobalt-blue crossed-twigs mark with an “S,” the late-19th to early-20th-century mark of Samson, Paris, and is impressed “Made in France” and “Genuine Biscuit.” Samson, founded in 1845, was known for finely modeled Paris porcelain in the taste of the period.

Dimensions: approximately 16 in. high × 6 in. wide × 7 in. deep; pedestal about 5 in. diameter.
Materials: bisque (biscuit) porcelain
Origin: France, Paris, Samson.
Period: late 19th century / early 20th century.
Condition: Very good condition. wear and use consistent with age. No Cracks or missing parts. There are a few minor tiny chips on the leaves surrounding the grapes in the basket, not noticeable unless pointed out. Original surface throughout. No restoration noted. See less