264 - French paperweight, ca. 1900.

French paperweight, ca. 1900. Bronze and marble. In good overall condition, with a patina consistent with its age. Measurements: 5 × 17.5 × 11 cm. Provenance: Estate of Ramon Martí Alsina and Ricard Martí Aguiló. Artistic and heritage collection originating in the legacy of Catalan painters Ramon Martí Alsina (1826–1894), a seminal figure of 19th-century Catalan Realism, and his son Ricard Martí Aguiló (1857–1935). Passed down and enriched across successive generations, the collection brings together works from the original holdings of both artists alongside acquisitions made by their descendants. Dedicated to preserving and recovering the family legacy, the descendants actively reacquired works by the painters as they entered the market, progressively expanding the collection to encompass paintings, sculptures, archaeological artifacts, and other items of artistic and historical significance. The naturalistic rendering of the snail and the careful combination of bronze and marble place this paperweight within the French decorative style of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The figure rests on a bed of leaves and branches, rendered with attention to detail in the shell, body, and antennae, while the rectangular marble base with its intense veining provides chromatic contrast and stability to the piece as a whole. This type of small desk ornament, conceived as a hybrid between decorative sculpture and a functional object, became widely popular during the Belle Époque. The animal motif, rendered in a naturalistic style, also reflects the period’s interest in incorporating forms taken directly from nature into the repertoire of the decorative arts.