Antique Terracotta Roof Tile with Dove from the South of France

Found in a chateau in Loriol du Comtat, in the Provence region of France, this large-scale plaster sculpture is signed and dated by the artist, making it a rare find. Originally part of a boiserie containing a fireplace, the sculpture decorated the main hall of the chateau. The artist, Marius Sain, created the piece for the owners of the chateau in 1914. The lovely depiction of a shepherdess and her flock is a fitting subject for an area of France in which shepherding is such an important part of the culture. The preserved heritage of transhumance in Provence goes back at least 800 years, as evidenced by collections of ancient songs, stories, and art. Life-size in scale, the lovely sculpture features a mix of high-, mid-, and low-relief embellishments. A hooded shepherdess tends to her flock of sheep with a crook in hand. A dog sits calmly at her feet as the flock gathers in front of them. Both the shepherdess and the dog are in high relief, as is the lead sheep. The lamb seen suckling from the front sheep was crafted in mid relief, as is the visible head on the far right of the sculpture. There are a few sheep behind them in low relief. Large trees can be seen on either side of the group, while off in the background (faintly visible) are a castle with four fastigiate Mediterranean cypress trees (known as Stricta) and a spired church. The attention to detail is magnificent, with textured surfaces including the animals’ fur and the uneven ground. Block print on the plaster can be seen at the base. The letters read Le Soir, which is French for “The Night”. The right side of the sculpture has been signed “M Sain 1914”. Marius Joseph Sain was born in 1877 in Avignon, France. In 1902, Sain moved to Paris to study at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts. Through introductions by his older brother and painter, Paul...

These monumental arched antique door shutters were salvaged from a 19th century French chateau. They would have been on the ground floor, attached...

Crafted in France, circa 1920, this zinc roof finial was repurposed at a later date into an oversized lamp base. The metal has a gray hue but has developed areas of gold and black fr...

This beautiful boiserie panel depicting an allegory of Spring and the Arms of France was hand-painted in France, circa 1840. Boiserie is ornate wooden paneling that covered walls and ceilings of luxurious chateaus in France. The use of these panels became more prevalent at the end of the 17th century, before exploding in popularity during the 1700’s, thanks to multiple installations at the Palace of Versailles. Lengthy paintings such as this (ours is over 112 inches long) would often be placed above a doorway, forming a continuous theme with the rest of the room. The arrival of Spring is depicted by four winged cherubs frolicking among pink, white, and yellow flowers. None of the cherubs are clothed, although two of them are draped in colored textiles. The putto on the far left has a billowing peach colored material hanging from the left shoulder as he holds a sheer piece of fabric. The transparent veil stretches across most of the canvas, extending to the right hand of a female cherub wearing a jeweled tiara on the far right. On the same side of the canvas, but more medial, is another putto loosely draped in green fabric. To the left is the fourth cherub, a female with a laurel leaf tiara that is holding onto the edge of the Arms of France. A gold oval medallion, adorned with volute scrolls at the top and bottom, encircles a representation of the coat of arms of France from the Bourbon Restoration (1814/1815-1830). There is a large, curled leaf rising from the top volute with a husked border surrounding the light blue background with three gold fleur de lys. Our magnificent French painting gives off a warm and lively feel. Although it could still be used as part of a boiserie room...