French Art Nouveau Figural Lamp “Hirondelle Blessée,” Signed Moretay

Description

A striking French Art Nouveau figural lamp titled “Hirondelle Blessée” (“The Wounded Swallow”), featuring a beautifully modeled seated young woman beneath an elaborate naturalistic arrangement of flowers, leaves, wheat, grapes and sweeping stems supporting three frosted glass shades.

The sculptural female figure is rendered in warm bronze-patinated metal and bears the visible signature “Moretay.” A metal title plaque affixed to the base reads “HIRONDELLE BLESSÉE, Par Moretay,” adding an important identifying detail to this unusual decorative work.

The seated young woman is sensitively modeled with flowing drapery and a contemplative pose. Rising dramatically behind her, sinuous stems intertwine with grape clusters, leaves and botanical motifs before terminating in three large frosted glass flower-form shades. The combination of the female figure and organic ornamentation is strongly characteristic of the naturalistic vocabulary associated with French Art Nouveau.

The sculpture rests upon a substantial circular green stone base, most likely onyx or marble, which provides a handsome contrast to the warm patinated finish of the figure.

Art Nouveau flourished in France and throughout Europe around the turn of the 20th century, drawing particular inspiration from nature, feminine forms and flowing asymmetrical lines. Lighting from the period was frequently conceived as sculpture in its own right, with flowers, vines and the female figure incorporated directly into the composition.

Interestingly, “Hirondelle Blessée” was also the title of a celebrated 1898 sculpture by French artist Alfred Boucher, a work associated with the late 19th-century taste for sentimental and idealized female figures. This lamp, however, bears the Moretay signature and title plaque and is offered according to the identifying marks present on the piece.

A substantial and highly decorative statement lamp, equally compelling as sculpture and as functional lighting. It would make an exceptional focal point in an entry, library, living room, study or collector’s interior.

Title: Hirondelle Blessée (“The Wounded Swallow”)
Measurements: 33.5″ H (Base approximately 9″ diameter)