Maurice Journès, Centrepiece with Marine Deities (1876)

MAURICE JOURNÈS (1831 Grenoble - 1905 Paris) Centrepiece with marine deities. 1876. Terracotta. 30 X 30 X 30 cm. Signed and dated: Journès 1876. Some reeds are missing. Terracotta centerpiece representing Poseidon, Amphitrite, Nereus, and Doris, all marine deities with the legs of seahorses. This is a piece of great originality and much humour by Journès, a sculptor born in Grenoble, who founded a drawing and moulding school in Bagnères-de-Bigorre, in the Pyrenees. A fervent socialist throughout his life, it seems that his career suffered due to his convictions.