43 - ELSIE WARD HERING (United States,1872-1923).

ELSIE WARD HERING (United States,1872-1923). Vase "The Two Irises", ca. 1900. Silver-plated pewter. Signed on the bottom. Stamp on the back. Slight dent on the base. Weight: 1.970 g. Bibliography: Philippe DAHHAN, Étains 1900, 200 Sculpteurs de la Belle Époque, Les Éditions de l'Amateur, Paris, 2000, reproduced p. 190, fig. 548. Measurements: 37 x 17 x 17 cm. Art Nouveau period vase in silver-plated pewter, a good example of what early 20th century art was all about. Bulbous base with slender neck decorated with flowers (iris) and plant ornaments in relief protruding on the sides. Elsie Ward was an American sculptor specializing in portraits, busts and reliefs, working primarily in bronze and other metals. After graduating from high school in 1889, she studied art in Denver with several masters, becoming actively involved in local art life. She later moved to New York, where she joined the Art Students League and was a student of prominent figures such as Augustus St. Gaudens and Daniel Chester French. Around 1898, Ward traveled to Paris, a fruitful period in which she created the sculpture Boy and Frog, a work that would later be awarded a medal at the St. Louis World's Fair.