49 - French School, c. 1900.

French School, c. 1900. "Nymph." Marble relief. Signed Lebrun. Measurements: 45 x 28 x 16 cm. An attractive carved marble relief signed by Lebrun, a sculptor active around 1900, depicting an idealized female head identifiable as a nymph. The work stands out for the delicacy of the face’s modeling—with its serene and pensive expression—which emerges with great subtlety from the material. The sculptor creates an interesting contrast between the figure’s polished surface and the rocky-looking background, reinforcing the sense of organic emergence. This technique, combined with the treatment of the hair in broad, undulating locks, places the work within the aesthetic sphere of the Belle Époque, with affinities to both Symbolism and Art Nouveau, particularly in its preference for sinuous lines and the integration of figure and nature. The piece belongs to a highly prized genre from the turn of the century, in which the female figure—conceived as a nymph or allegory—embodies an ideal of poetic and timeless beauty. It is a work of great decorative appeal, representative of the sculptural refinement of the fin de siècle.