Vintage Art Deco metal elephant sculpture Babbitt, France

Wonderful Art Deco elephant in babbitt, the original metal used in the early 20th century, in the style of Irénée Rochard (1906 - 1984). With its rounded and faceted forms, this sculpture is inspired by the polygonal approach of Art Deco. Its volumetry flees the rounded and imperceptible forms to configure itself through the different planes, which are distinguished by the visible edges. This elephant thus represents the undulating rhythm of the convex and axial forms of the style, which was influenced by the geometrism of the historical avant-gardes, as well as by Art Nouveau and the Bauhaus school.Babbitt is an alloy of tin, lead, antimony and copper, which was developed at the beginning of the 20th century. The result is an anti-friction metal with enormous strength and a brilliant finish. For their part, elephants in the wild are majestic creatures identified by strong family ties, truly unique personalities and perseverance in the face of adversity; and historically, they are a symbol of strength and intelligence. Because of all these attributes, elephants have become part of our lives through decoration and tradition. This iconography follows the patterns of Japanese origami, as Art Deco was influenced by various styles, including the Japanese style of the mid-nineteenth century, whose strong character and aesthetic was reflected in all artistic manifestations.About Irénée Rochard (1906 - 1984)Irénée Rochard studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts and the Ecole des Arts Décoratifs, and was a member of the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts from 1938. Between the wars, she was close to other animal sculptors, such as François Pompon and Édouard-Marcel Sandoz. He sculpted hundreds of animals in the Art Deco style using ceramics, wood, granite and marble, but especially bronze. Reference : 263678