5 Star Reviews 
1930s French Art Deco Bronze Sculpture "Dancer of Thyrsus" by Pierre Le Faguays Large Size
Item #3766
A Grand Art Deco Statue of a Dancer with a Thyrsus by the prolific sculptor Pierre Le Faguays, produced in the Etling Foundry in 1930. This piece is stunning at 55 cm (22 inches) tall. It features cold-painted bronze on a Portoro Marble base, rendered in exquisite detail. A smaller size, 11″ tall, was produced; the one offered here is twice the size.
Drawing inspiration from Greek mythology, it embodies all the classic features of the Art Deco era: a beautiful face framed with fashionably bobbed hair, a nearly nude form with a swish of a skirt to show movement, and a ballerina’s pose. We consider this a “signature piece” by one of the critical artists of the period, Le Faguays. This would be an excellent choice if you could have “just one” piece. If you have an essential collection, this one should be part of it. This Art Deco cold-painted gilt bronze sculpture of a semi-naked dancer holding a Thyrsus staff across her shoulders, heightened with bright enamel colors, raised on a stepped portoro marble base, signed Le Faguays.
What is a “thyrsus”? It is a staff or pole decorated with flowers and typically capped with pinecones. It was used in ceremonial pageants and dances and appeared in ancient Greek art and sculpture.
Pierre Le Faguays was an award-winning sculptor who received medals of honor in 1926 and 1927 for his contributions to the Société des Artistes Français salons. A good friend and colleague of Max Le Verrier, many of his pieces were produced at the Le Verrier Foundry under his name and pseudonyms, such as “Fayral” for his metalwork pieces and “Pierre Laurel” for some of his bronzes. His wife, Raymond Guerbe, was also a sculptor, and some of her statues were previously attributed to Le Faguays, though they are now recognized as her works.
Born in Nantes in 1892, Le Faguay’s first major exhibition was in 1922. He earned acclaim for his attention to decorative detail and his anatomical accuracy in sculpting the human form. “Dancers” were among his favorite subjects. Le Faguays, Le Verrier, and Marcel Bouraine studied at the School of Beaux-Arts in Geneva and remained lifelong friends and collaborators.
This piece was produced at the Etling Foundry in Paris, founded in 1909 by Edmond Laurent Etling, with a shop on the Rue de Paradis featuring art objects designed by what would later become the most famed Art Deco era sculptors, including Chiparus, Collinet, and Marcel Guillard. “Dancer with Thyrsus” bears the carved signature on the marble – Le Faguays—in excellent original condition with a beautiful patina.
This piece is illustrated in the books Art Deco Sculpture by Victor Arwas, Art Deco Sculpture by Alastair Duncan, and Statuettes of the Art Deco Period by Alberto Shayo.
Measurements
22″ T x 20″ W x 3.5″ D
