BORGHILD ARNESEN (1872-1950) & ATELIER HAUTE-CLAIRE - Lot 22

BORGHILD ARNESEN (1872-1950) & ATELIER HAUTE-CLAIRE Les Bœufs musqués du massif de Dovrefjell, 1903, our work most probably presented at Galerie Georges Petit, Paris, 1903 An oblong-shaped ceremonial soup tureen in silver-plated copper. Each end of the base is adorned with a musk ox head in repoussé metal, forming a rond-bosse and finely engraved. The body of the base features floral decoration engraved in a wide reserve on each side, and rests on four spinning top feet with engraved motifs. The domed lid features four cartouches with engraved decorations of musk oxen grazing on the Dovrefjell massif and floral motifs evoking grazing; the handle is decorated with a flower. Signed, located and dated Borghild ARNESEN - HAUTE-CLAIRE 1903 in engraving inside the lid. Height: 27cm - Length: 38cm - Width: 20,5cm Exhibition: Exhibition of the works of Armand Point and Haute-Claire - Galerie Georges Petit, 1903. A tureen, most probably ours, exhibited at this show. Bibliography: Exposition des œuvres d'Armand Point et de Haute-Claire - Catalogue of the exhibition held at Galerie Georges Petit in 1903. A soup tureen, most probably ours, referenced under number 69 in the catalog and quoted on page 8 (not reproduced). Borghild ARNESEN (1872-1950), goldsmith of the imaginary Norwegian-born Borghild Arnesen is one of the great names in goldsmithing of the first half of the 20th century. Pursuing her ambition to become a painter from an early age, she studied drawing and painting with Harriet Backer and Asta Nørregaard from 1892 onwards, before leaving her native country for Paris, where she studied at the Académie Delécluse between 1895 and 1898. A trip to Rome in 1898 heightened her interest in the metal arts. Determined, the versatile artist sought to master this art, and in 1899 joined the Haute-Claire artists' colony founded by Armand Point at Marlotte, in the heart of the Fontainebleau forest. A complete artist, both painter and master of the decorative arts, Point had gathered around him a community of artists trained in all the arts, in the manner of Renaissance workshops. A mecca for Symbolism, Haute-Claire was the source of an artistic and cultural ferment that remains unrivalled today. Here, Borghild Arnesen was given all the freedom and instruction she needed to develop her artistic temperament - never crushed, but always guided by the genius of her master. Working in embossed and chased copper, Borghild Arnesen created numerous works, mainly utilitarian, such as crockery, toiletries, frames and jewelry. Fauna and flora motifs abound in her creations, testifying to her overflowing imagination and great technical mastery. Nature, and more specifically flowers and animals, thus occupy an important place in his work. But, despite having observed them at Marlotte or the Jardin des Plantes, it was not a direct translation of their features that interested the artist. Indeed, Borghild Arnesen's work seems to be permeated by a certain mystery, a certain magic, which gives the subjects enthroned on her works an almost fantastical aspect. Beyond nature itself, her greatest inspirations are the books and fairy tales of Hans Christian Andersen and Rudyard Kipling, as well as Mexican art, Indian mythology and religious narratives. With humor and irony, her mastery of metal art enabled her to transcribe a variety of motifs from her exceptional decorative imagination. Unjustly forgotten by posterity, Borghild Arnesen enjoyed a certain success during her lifetime, thanks in particular to her numerous appearances at the salons of the early 20th century, where she exhibited in both the painting and goldsmith's and silversmith's sections. The artist sold most of her work to the French public, as well as to a few Norwegian collectors. Having practiced in France, Borghild Arnesen remains little-known in her native country - although the National Museum of Norway preserves many of her works, including reliefs inspired by theosophy.