Description:
A Very Fine Large, Rare and Charming French 19th Century - Belle Epoque Carved White Marble Whimsical Figural Urn Fountain Depicting Children Climbing on an Urn with Flowers and Garlands, influenced in the Louis XV style, By Joseph Reynés I Gurgui (Barcelona, 1850-1926). Signed: Reynes. Circa: Barcelona, 1890.
Notable mention: An almost identical Carrara marble fountain also by Josep Reynés carved in 1893 currently at the Parc de la Ciutadella, Barcelona, Spain.
Overall Height: 55 inches (140 cm)
Marble Height: 49 inches (124.5 cm)
Width: 37 inches (94 cm)
Depth: 30 inches (76.3 cm)
Joseph Reynes Gurguí (Barcelona, 1850 - 1926) was a Catalan sculptor, also known as Reynesy-Gurgui, Spanish school.
He studied at the Ecole de la Llotja, studied for a time in Paris, in the workshops of the great French sculptors Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux (1827-1875) and Carrier-Belleuse (1824-1887). He devoted himself mainly to interior decoration. His works were profoundly marked by a French influence. He exhibited in Paris in 1895 where he received an honorable mention. In 1890 he obtained the first medal in Madrid for "The Violinist".
Literature:
E. Benezit Dictionaire des Peintres, Sculpteurs, Dessinateurs et Graveurs by Grund - Nouvelle Edition, 1976 - Volume 8, Page 714.
Cristina Mensoza, Ramon Casas, Retrats al carbó, Sabadell, Editorial AUSA, 1995, 282 pp.
Please note: The marble urn is attached to an hexagonal painted cement base which was removed together as it was displayed for use as a fountain.
Ref.: A1111
Almost identical Carrara marble fountain also by Josep Reynés carved in 1893 currently at the Parc de la Ciutadella in Barcelona, Spain. (See images below)