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649 - QUILLIVIC René (1879–1969): “La Petite Bigoudène”. SCULPTURE…
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Estimate €4,000 - €6,000
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Description
QUILLIVIC René (1879–1969): “La Petite Bigoudène”. SCULPTURE in Lens stone, partially polychromed. Plinth in the Seiz Breur style by Michel Guillanton. Circa 1910. Height of head: 26 cm. Height including plinth: 53 cm. PROVENANCE: Formerly in the collection of Maurice Pillard Verneuil and Adélaïde Verneuil de Marval, then passed down through the family. The year is 1924. Maurice Pillard Verneuil, an art critic but also an Art Nouveau decorative artist, trained notably by Eugène Grasset, collaborated with Mathurin Méheut on the marvellous work *Étude de la mer*, a breviary that has become a true work of art. At that time, Méheut spent a great deal of time in Paris, particularly for his exhibitions. 1924 was also the year in which René Quillivic moved into his Parisian studio on Boulevard Montmorency, which still exists today. Paris thus became a key hub for the dissemination of modern Breton art. This second melting pot proved conducive to artists meeting one another… and it was during a collaboration with Pillard Verneuil that René Quillivic presented him with this sculpture of ‘La Petite Bigoudène’, carved directly from soft stone and enhanced with delicate colours – an extremely rare feature in Quillivic’s work. The artist was at the heart of modernity in Brittany, which flourished in the interwar period. A genius engraver, ceramist and modeller, Quillivic was also a master of direct carving, a demanding craft that was being lost at that time. Here, the stone allows him to be as daring as he pleases, particularly in the subtle treatment, in bas-relief, of the lace on the headdress. Maurice Pillard Verneuil and his wife Adélaïde Verneuil de Marval, who came from an old Swiss noble family, both lovers of fine things, would never part with the Petite Bigoudène, which accompanied them to Switzerland, where they settled after the war, and was preserved by their descendants for nearly a century. As a tribute to the Seiz Breur artists—whom Quillivic supported without officially being part of the movement—the plinth of the Petite Bigoudène was carved by Michel Guillanton, a woodcarver and Meilleur Ouvrier de France.
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About the sale L'AME BRETONNE Sale – 23rd edition
Auction location
Auction time 07/05/2026 at 10:00 AM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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