Maumejean mosaic, (for our english friends)

trouvé sur internet, en langue anglaise :

France

ca 1925, Art Deco

This rare and palatial mosaic was displayed at the entrance to the Maumejean Pavilion at the 1925 Exposition Internationale Des Arts Decoratifs et Industriels Modernes. It measures 120 inches long by 78 inches high (3.00 m x 1.95 m). It depicts four nude maidens rejoicing with two highly stylized American Indian warriors . One maiden is playing the aulos, another the tambourine while two others are demurely dancing to the sound of the waves and the haunting music produced by these two ancient instruments.

The intricacy of the mosaic is reflected in the disposition of the glass inserts and the way they follow the contours of the figures. The musculature in the bodies is apparent just based on the intentional placement of the tiny glass pieces and the gradation in color. This creation was one of their masterpieces. It is composed of approximately 60,000 pieces of colored and gilt glass.

The preparatory painting for this mosaic was exhibited at the New York Architectural league in 1926.

This mosaic can be used indoors or outdoors. A Maumejean retrospective is planned in France for next year, and if this piece is still available, it will be included in this exhibition.

The mosaic comes from a collection near Biarritz, France. It took two months to convince the French Government to grant an export license. Now this item has its own passport and can be shipped anywhere in the world. Very few major pieces from the 1925 Expo have ever found their way onto the open market.

The firm of Maumejean was created in 1860 by Pierre Jules Maumejean in Pau, the south of France. It specialized in mosaics and stained glass windows for public buildings and churches. Towards the end of the 19th century, the firm expanded to Biarritz, France and then Madrid, Spain. When Pierre Jules Maumejean's son Joseph, a graduate of the Ecole des Beaux Arts of Paris was appointed to the firm, it quickly became very successful and was promoted to official furnishers for the Royal House of Spain. Between 1897 and 1930 they were awarded many medals and prizes and since they were in such great demand, they opened branches in Barcelona and Saint Sebastian, Spain. At the same time, they also opened up a gallery in Paris. Joseph's youngest brother was put in charge, and slowly introduced Art Deco to his clients. After WWI, and after being inundated with commissions, they opened another location in Hendaye, France in 1920.

In their advertisements during the period, they write about having decorated over 5000 Cathedrals, Basilicas and Chapels in 34 different countries , even the Americas where they completed 65 commissions. In 1925, at the Exposition Internationale Des Arts Decoratifs et Industriels Modernes in France, they built their own Pavilion on the Quai d'Orsay and won the ultimate recognition: They were awarded the Grand Prix for the category Glass Architecture.

merci à nos amis anglais : on file à Heandaye A.S.A.P !