'Pomona' - Art Deco relief in ebony

About this piece

Beautiful Art Deco round wall relief, carved from ebony. A skilled craftsman has worked on this piece; the quality is sublime. The design, so elegant and stylized, demonstrates the harmony of craftsmanship and creativity. The portrayal of a woman with a bunch of grapes in hand, surrounded by grape leaves, strongly suggests that Pomona, the goddess of vineyards and orchards, is depicted here. She radiates in full glory, accentuated by the large recessed wooden frame gilded with gold leaf.

I haven't come across anything like this before; it epitomizes French Art Deco at its finest. Although it is not signed, it is still in the original frame. The frame has been professionally restored by a furniture restorer at the edge where a piece of gold and plaster was missing. This has been meticulously repaired in the traditional way, with a layer of plaster, a special red underlayer, and gold leaf. We haven't removed it from the frame because it was still attached with the original reed, and we didn't want to disturb it without good reason. A frame like this was also used in the 19th century, so it is certainly not typical Art Deco in design.

As far as we know, the work is not signed. I would like to attribute it, but I have insufficient concrete evidence to do so. In the Art Deco era, it was not unusual for an artist to design a piece and commission a craftsman for execution. For example, Paul Vera designed a clock for Sue et Mare, which was crafted by Pierre Poisson in1921. Similarly, major department stores hired renowned designers; Au Bon Marché, for instance, enlisted Paul Poiret to establish Pomone in 1923. Numerous other instances illustrate this collaborative approach.

Condition

The jawline has a minor Restauration, which is once professionally done by a restaurator. It’s only visible with the so called blue light.