Product Description
Sydney Pitcher “St. Martin’s Cross Iona” Arts & Crafts photograph c. 1900

SYDNEY PITCHER F.R.P.S. (d. 1950) England
ARTHUR H. PITCHER (Framer)
“St. Martin’s Cross Iona” c.1900
Carbon process photograph, hand carved oak frame with beautiful wood grain detail.
Marks: S MARTINS CROSS IONA (carved incised mark)
Art Nouveau paper label (on back): Framed by Arthur H. Pitcher, College Court, Gloucester, Moulding No…..
Photograph: H: 9 1/2″ x W: 5″
Frame: H: 16 3/4″ x W: 8 5/8″ D: 5/8″
Sydney A. Pitcher FRPS (active 1904-1939) was a photographer with an interest in monument and church architecture. He is listed in the 1927 Kelly’s Directory of the County of Gloucester as a commercial photographer, publisher and picture frame maker, operating from 5 & 7 College Court, Gloucester. Pitcher was involved primarily in the photography of Gloucestershire churches, but also took pictures of churches and cathedrals in neighbouring counties, and of medieval sculptures at Winchester College. He collaborated on the publication of Rushforth’s series of volumes The stained glass of Great Malvern Priory Church , Gloucester, 1916-1927.
He joined the Royal Photographic Society in 1904, was admitted as an Associate member in 1925, and became a Fellow in 1928.
Sydney Pitcher “St. Martin’s Cross Iona” Arts & Crafts photograph c. 1900
Silver hand finished and repoussed in the form of a staghorn beetle with horns encircling the round magnifying glass, gold details
Signed: L. GAILLARD (engraved) on lower right leg, head of Minerva (950/1000 pure silver)
The staghorn beetle was a favorite form for Gaillard and the inspiration for many examples of his work including jewelry, vases and this magnifying glass. A variant model in cast bronze can be seen in the collection of the Musee d’Orsay in Paris.
MAURICE BOUVAL (born Toulouse, died 1920) France
M. COLIN France
“Nymph Embracing a Blossom” candle holder c.1900
Silvered cast bronze in the form of a nymph on a leaf embracing a blossom
Marks: M. Bouval (script signature) and COLIN, (Foundry) written above
For other examples of Bouval’s work see: The Paris Salons 1895-1914, Vol. V: Objets d’Art & Metalware, Alastair Duncan (Woodbridge, Suffolk: Antique Collectors’ Club, 1999), p. 127; Ecole to Deco, Small Sculptures from a Private Collection, Stephen C. McGough ed. (Oberlin, Ohio: Allen Memorial Art Museum, 1979) pp. 33-4; Art Nouveau Sculpture, Alastair Duncan (New York: Rizzoli, 1978) pp. 30-1.
H: 3″ x W: 6 1/2″ x D: 4 3/4″
FIRMIN-MARCELIN MICHELET Sculptor (1875-1951) France
GENTIL ET BOURDET [pottery]
“Four Seasons” vase c. 1900
Glazed stoneware in a cream color with tan and light brown highlights molded with four female profiles and corresponding floral branches below representing the “Four Seasons” of the year
Marks: F. Michelet (underglaze), Gentil et Bourdet Architectes Ceramistes
Another example of this vase is in the collection of the Brighton Museum Brighton, England
Exhibited: French Art Nouveau from English Collections, City of Bristol Museum and Art Gallery, 1977, Cat. No. B7.
Illustrated: Art Nouveau, Art Deco and the Thirties; The Ceramic, Glass and Metalwork Collections at Brighton Museum (Brighton: The Royal Pavillion, 1986)cat. no. 41, p. 22.
For more information on Firmin-Marcellin Michelet see: Étains 1900:
200 Sculptures de la Belle Époque, Philippe Dahhan (Paris: Les Éditions de l’Amateur, 2000), p. 274.
H: 13 1/2″ x Dia: 7 1/4″
Price: $7,500
SOPHIE BURGER-HARTMANN (1868-1940) Munich, Germany
Vide Poche c. 1900
Richly patinated dark brown bronze Vide Poche modeled as a swirling Art Nouveau nymph holding a stylized shell form low tray.
Marks: VW (Vereinigte Werkstätten für Kunst im Handwerk Munich)
H: 6 1/2″ D: 7″ x W: 8″