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bronze sculpture of a bird on a marble base on a white backgrounda sculpture of a plane that is on a marble basea metal sculpture of a jet plane on a marble surfacestatue of a bird on a marble base on a white backgrounda sculpture of a dog that is sitting on a book
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MARGAUX SERRANO MAISON DE VENTE

163 - JAN & JOËL MARTEL (1896–1966) Car mascot depicting a stylise…
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Estimate €400 - €600
Sale commission
Description
JAN & JOËL MARTEL (1896–1966) Car mascot depicting a stylised / modernist bird Silver-plated bronze (patina showing signs of wear) Marble plinth Dimensions of the sculpture: 20.5 x 9 cm high (excluding plinth) Jan and Joël Martel were French sculptors, twin brothers born on 5 March 1896 in Nantes. As founding members of the Union des Artistes Modernes (UAM), they worked as a duo throughout their lives, their joint works simply signed ‘Martel’. Their exploration of stylised forms combines a distinct naturalism with the emerging Cubist aesthetic of the 1920s, placing them firmly within the Art Deco movement. Pioneers in the use of materials that were unusual for sculpture at the time (concrete, plaster, stone, aluminium, terracotta, as well as traditional bronze), the Martel brothers collaborated closely with the architect Robert Mallet-Stevens, notably at the 1925 Exposition des Arts Décoratifs (their famous concrete trees); who had a bespoke studio built for them between 1924 and 1926 at 10 Rue Mallet-Stevens, in Paris’s 16th arrondissement. In 1932, they created the monument to Claude Debussy on Boulevard Lannes in Paris. Their work was also featured in the sculpture category of the art competition for the 1948 Olympic Games. The motif of the stylised bird, which features prominently in the radiator mascots they designed, is an iconic example: the swallow, ‘Essor’, a bird bearing the Cross of Lorraine, an eagle, a pigeon and a falcon. The gilded bronze model of the stylised bird was specifically commissioned from the Martel brothers by their friend Robert Mallet-Stevens for his own Sizaire car — a series of 14 examples of these mascots was displayed at an exhibition dedicated to the Martel brothers at the Villa Cavrois in 2024. Suggested keywords: Jan and Joël Martel, twin sculptors, Art Deco, Cubism, Union des Artistes Modernes, Robert Mallet-Stevens, radiator mascot, gilded bronze, stylised bird, Sizaire, Nantes, workshop on Rue Mallet-Stevens, Art Deco animal sculpture. Provenance: Private Art Nouveau / Art Deco collection – Geneva This lot will be automatically transferred to the Drouot storage facility following the sale. No exceptions will be made, unless collection takes place on the evening of the sale before 6.15 pm. Any storage and handling charges will be borne by the buyer in accordance with the current rates. This lot is presented under the temporary importation scheme from Switzerland. Import VAT at the rate of 5.5% is included in the buyer’s fees (33.5%). No additional charge will be made in this respect.
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About the sale Art Nouveau / Art Deco Collection – Gallé and Daum glassware, paintings, furniture
Auction location
Auction time 10/06/2026 at 1:00 PM
Pictures credits:
Margaux Serrano Auction House
See original version (French)
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