Agathon Léonard
Encyclopedia
Lille
Lille is a city in northern France . It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country behind those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Lille is situated on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium...
- 1923 Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
), was a French Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau is an international philosophy and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that were most popular during 1890–1910. The name "Art Nouveau" is French for "new art"...
sculptor.
Belgian by birth, Léonard moved to Paris when quite young and studied sculpture at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts de Paris
École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts
The École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-arts is the distinguished National School of Fine Arts in Paris, France.The École des Beaux-arts is made up of a vast complex of buildings located at 14 rue Bonaparte, between the quai Malaquais and the rue Bonaparte, in the heart of Saint-Germain-des-Près,...
under Eugène Delaplanche
Eugène Delaplanche
Eugène Delaplanche was a French sculptor, born at Belleville .-Life:He was a pupil of Duret, gained the Prix de Rome in 1864 , and the medal of honor in 1878. His "Messenger of Love" , "Aurora" , and the "Virgin of the Lillies" , are in the Luxembourg...
. He became a member of the Société des Artistes Français
Société des artistes français
The Société des Artistes Français is the association of French painters and sculptors established in 1881. Its annual exhibition is called the Salon....
in 1887 and a member of the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts in 1897. He regularly exhibited across France, and was made a chevalier of the Légion d'Honneur
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
in 1900. Some of his best-known works are studies of dancers, such as La Cothurne (Tragic Pose from Le Jeu d'escharpe), modeled in 1895 and cast in 1900. The Play of the Scarf, executed in a characteristic fin-de-siècle manner and rendered in gilt, showed a dancer in a flowing gown with a billowing scarf held above her head. This piece was produced in 1897, was inspired by the renowned dancer, Lois Fuller and was displayed as a table centerpiece at the 1900 World's Fair at the Pavillon de Sèvres in Paris.
Bronze casting of Léonard's work was carried out by the Susse Frères Editeurs foundry. Besides bronze, he also produced works in marble, quartz and ivory. His bas-relief of St. Cecilia is to be found in the Abbeville
Abbeville
Abbeville is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Location:Abbeville is located on the Somme River, from its modern mouth in the English Channel, and northwest of Amiens...
Museum and the Nantes
Nantes
Nantes is a city in western France, located on the Loire River, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the 6th largest in France, while its metropolitan area ranks 8th with over 800,000 inhabitants....
Museum houses a bust titled The Plunderer of Shipwrecks.
Léonard also produced Art Nouveau medallions, statuettes and pottery.